


The Moon's Phases

by Gamer_AlchemistZ (orphan_account)



Category: RWBY
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M, Major Original Character(s), Multi, Original Character Death(s), Original Character-centric, Revised Version
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-13
Updated: 2015-06-23
Packaged: 2018-03-07 09:03:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 54,309
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3169187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/Gamer_AlchemistZ
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Onyx Lupin has a problem; he was bitten by a Beowolf and now turns into one every time he looks at the moon. Normally, he wouldn't have a problem with that, but now that he's attending Beacon and has made great friends, he senses a bit of a problem arising. Can this Grimm boy help his friends fight the enemy, or will he turn on them in the long run?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Onyx Goes To Beacon

The Moon's Phases

_It had been raining that day. Water poured down on the frightened, broken boy just as much as blood did; blood from himself, his mother, and father. It just wouldn't stop flowing. He could only stand and stare in fright at the Beowolf's red eyes bearing down on him._

_It fell dead before him in an instant after a sword was lodged in its head. The boy could vaguely remember familiar voices calling out to him. Many hands tried to cover the enormous bite on his shoulder, hoping to stop the bleeding as they reassured him everything was going to be okay._

_The Beowolf had been the last of its kind before a new breed of Beowolves was made. Until him._

_Onyx Lupin._

_The 5 year old boy did not understand the bite. It was there one day then the next it was fully healed as if he was never bitten before. His grandfather had mentioned nothing of it. He had soon forgotten about it not long after._

_Until the night he saw the broken moon._

_His body began to expand a bit painfully; bones cracking and breaking to rearrange. Hair grew from his body rapidly and his sane mind shut off. All he remembered was a howl before darkness._

_When he awoke the next morning, he was naked in the woods. His grandfather found him and put some clothes on him before taking him back to the house. Even then, he didn't mention anything of it and Onyx didn't bring up the subject._

_It wasn't until he was 8 did he realize he had become like the Beowolf that had killed his parents. Luckily, his grandfather created a concoction made of a certain dust that would keep the beast at bay. He had to inject it into himself every day before the moon came out. He also helped control the Beowolf with various methods. Soon, he was able to control it unless he became too caught up in his emotions._

_Thanks to him being able to control it, he joined a combat academy in the town after pleading to his grandfather. He got his own weapon despite all the uses being a Beowolf gave him. His grandfather, who also designed weapons as well as owned his own dust shop, created gloves and bracelets for his weapon; the bracelets held dust and injected it into the gloves which let him shoot off lightning, fire, wind, and ice. It was named_ Stark.

_He went through intense training after that. His grandfather got him a teacher who was an old friend of his to help him with hand to hand combat which also helped him with his weapon. He trained with weighted clothes and such which made him very acrobatic in the long run. It had taken a while for him to master everything; the frustration of training brought out the Grimm though he was electrocuted by the man and shot in both his hands by arrows which resulted in Onyx always concealing his hands from people be it by his gloved weapon or wrappings._

_After the training was done, the man had left and that was the last Onyx had heard of him. His grandfather never mentioned him again, so, like always, he never brought him up in conversations. Still, he wondered what happened to the man. He wanted to thank him for what he had done for him._

_In present time, he was happy, but a part of him always wondered how people would treat him if they ever found out he was a Grimm. He would always see discrimination against Faunus. He knew he would get it worse if he revealed what he was._

…

_This is what I brought you_

_This you can keep._

_This is what I brought_

_You may forget me._

_I promise to depart_

_Just promise one thing._

_Kiss my eyes and lay me to sleep._

…

A nudge at the raven haired boy's shoulder caused him to stir, his cheek stuck to the car window. "Onyx," The deep voice of his grandfather spoke. "Get up, we're here."

Onyx groggily lifted his head of hair from the door, rubbing his tired, obsidian eyes. He felt a small scratch from gloved weapons on the skin of his eyelid. He adjusted the headphones around his neck as he yawned, "This is it?" He glanced at the air ship a few ways away as he opened the door of the car.

Onyx stood in front of the airship, his back straightening as he stared ahead. He wore a black baseball tee with red sleeves, a black leather jacket with a black hood, black jeans with a belt and chain, and black and red hi tops. His music player was stuffed in his jacket pocket and his black and red headphones rested around his neck. His belt buckle was round and held his symbol; the head of a wolf. His black, messy head of hair was medium length, stopping at the nape of his neck and his bangs stopping just above his eyebrows.

"Yep," His grandfather, Eastmund Lupin, grunted as he opened the door. He was one of the tallest people Onyx knew. He had dark hair, a scar over his cheek, and burns on his arms from accidents when he repaired weapons. Though he repaired weapons and provided Onyx with the dust he had, he never became a hunter since he chose to take care of his son after his wife passed; though he did do side jobs every now and then for some hunters and huntresses such as finding Grimm and setting up spy networks. The man was good with that kind of stuff.

The older male pulled out the boy's belongings and put them on the side of the car. "You ready?"

"Yeah," Onyx murmured, picking at the sleeve of his leather jacket. He unconsciously tugged at the collar of his shirt when he felt his neck heat up. He smiled at his grandfather, "You gonna be okay without me?"

Oum knew the man didn't know how to cook to save his life. Onyx learned early on how to make a large quantity of meals since he could stomach 15 meals in one sitting, and he really didn't want to eat his old man's cooking growing up. Once was enough. He also learned many other recipes varying from breakfast, small snacks, dinner, and desserts. Among other things, he did most of the chores around the house as well.

"Isn't that my line?" Eastmund chuckled amusedly, ruffling the boy's already messy hair. He grinned, "Now, I'll see you during the Vytal festival. You go and become one of the best hunters in the world."

Onyx nodded, putting his black hood attached to the leather jacket up, "Right."

"And remember," Eastmund exhaled, scratching his forehead. "Keep calm. Don't let the Beowolf come out. But…" He trailed off before shaking his head. "If you feel like telling anyone about…you know…if you feel like you need someone to talk to; tell them. Trust your gut when it comes to these people, okay?"

"Okay," Onyx nodded slowly, rubbing his eye. Tears stung his eyes; this was the first time his grandfather trusted him with his own life. "You did tell the headmaster about me, right?"

Eastmund nodded, "He said he'll want to speak with you after orientation. Another thing; you might want to tell your partner and teammates especially; maybe the professors too."

Onyx hummed in confirmation, "Right." He picked up his bags and gave his grandfather one last smile, "I'll be going now. Take care, Gramps."

"Take care, Onyx," Eastmund murmured, patting the boy on the back before getting into the car and driving away. He could only leave his shop for some time before people started piling up the entrance. With the robberies that were happening, he couldn't afford to leave his shop unattended for too long.

Onyx walked onto the airship, putting his bags where everyone had placed their belongings. He then put the headphones he had around his neck over his ears as he weaved through the crowd. If there was one thing he hated about being in a crowd despite being shoved everywhere, it was hearing every single annoying conversation; doubly so with super hearing.

The airship soon lifted into the air, taking them to their destination. As he flipped through the artists on his music player, he felt someone shove into him roughly. He grunted as his quick reflexes acted. He brought up his hand and caught the arm of the culprit before they could leave. Before he could open his mouth, he felt a strong wave of nausea smack into him. He gagged, clapping a hand over his mouth to keep his breakfast from spewing out.

He glanced up to the person he was grabbing, staring at the relieved blond next to him. The other boy breathed deeply, smiling, "Hey, thanks. I got some really bad motion sickness and I would've thrown up on you if you didn't grab me."

Onyx shuddered, keeping his grip on the blond. If he let him go, the boy would get his motion sickness back. He inhaled deeply through his nose, "It's fine. I'm glad I can help." He gave him a shaky smile, "I'm Onyx."

"Jaune," The blond grinned, trying to tug his arm out of grip. "Um…could you let me go? I'm good now; you don't have to hold on anymore."

Despite the heavy nausea aching his stomach, he shook his head, "S-sorry. If I let go, you'll get your motion sickness back."

"Wha…? Really?" Jaune questioned in disbelief, stilling his arm in the other boy's hold.

Onyx nodded, holding in the burp that threatened to surface, "My semblance is empathetic healing which doubles as wound transferal. Since I'm holding your arm, your nausea is getting passed onto me. If I let go, you'll get it back full force."

Jaune began to try and tug his arm out again, protesting, "Hey, if it's hurting you too then I don't want this. I'd rather throw up than have you throw up for me."

Their attention was turned to one of the holographic screens, Cyril Ian's voice echoing in the ship, _"The robbery was led by the nefarious criminal Roman Torchwick who continues to evade authorities. If you have any information on his whereabouts, please contact that Vale police department. Back to you, Lisa."_

Lisa Lavender, the news anchor then appeared on the screen, _"Thank you, Cyril. In other news, this Saturday's Faunus civil rights protest turned dark when members of the White Fang disrupted the ceremony. The once peaceful organization has now disrupted-"_

The news was canceled out as another woman appeared, _"Hello and welcome to Beacon. My name is Glynda Goodwitch. You are among a privileged few who have received the honor of being selected to attend this prestigious academy. Our world is experiencing an incredible time of peace, and as future huntsmen and huntresses, it is your duty to uphold it. You have demonstrated the courage needed for such a task. And now it is our turn to provide with the knowledge and training to protect our world."_

Jaune cleared his throat awkwardly when she disappeared, "Well, like I was saying; I'll take my arm back."

Onyx rolled his eyes, keeping his grip, "Just stay still. We're almost at Beacon anyways. I can deal and so can you."

"Right," Jaune nodded tentatively. He glanced at the other boy's headphones, "So what kind of music do you listen to?"

"Anything that's good," The raven haired boy replied, grinding his teeth against a stronger wave of nausea hitting his stomach.

Jaune nodded once more, albeit nervously, "Oh. Um…so, what kind of weapon-"

Onyx breathed a shaky sigh of relief when the airship finally landed on the dock at the academy, feeling the nausea settle down once and for all. That was the most hellish ride he had ever been in and he's been in the same car as his former daredevil grandfather who loved to try and perform stunts.

Jaune seemed relieved too as he tugged his arm free. He grinned, running towards the exit, "Thanks, Onyx. I'll see you later."

Onyx shook his head, his lips twitching bemusedly. He walked out of the airship and onto the docks, putting his headphones back on. All he had to do now was go to the orientation then talk to Ozpin before the day ended.

His foot caught a crack on the floor, sending him forward despite his quick abilities. Before he could catch himself, his face landed on two soft pillows. He blinked at the pleasant sensation; he never found anything this soft before.

He stiffened when he heard a chuckle above him. He glanced up cautiously and found himself staring into lilac eyes. He gulped dryly and pulled himself away quickly. He felt his face burning intensely, "S-s-s-sorry. I-I t-t-tripped. I d-didn't mean too." He took off his headphones and paused the music that was still playing loudly.

The blonde girl laughed, wrapping her arm around his shoulder and effectively shoving his face into the side of her bosom, "No worries. It was an accident; I get it."

Onyx swallowed dryly, vainly trying to move his face away from the girl's bust, "U-uh, right." He cleared his throat awkwardly, "I'm Onyx. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too, Onyx," She grinned, tugging him along as she began to walk towards the main hall. "I'm Yang."

He spied the bracelets on her wrists and inwardly raised a questioning eyebrow. "Right, Yang. Anyways, I-"

He stopped mid sentence as he continued to tail Yang by force. He was sure his super hearing picked up what sounded like an explosion. He glanced up at Yang questioningly, "Did you hear that?"

"What?"

"It sounded like someone exploded."

"Whoa, someone had a meltdown already?"

"I'm sure that's not what happened," He mumbled doubtfully.

Yang chuckled, taking her arm off of his shoulder. He was relieved to be able to breathe and see things other than the girl's breasts. Not that they were bad. They were really nice, actually.

Wait, he wasn't supposed to think like that! He shook his head mentally, giving Yang a small smile, "Thanks for showing me the way to the main hall."

Yang punched his shoulder with a smirk, "No problem, Onyx. I guess I'll see you around."

He nodded, giving her a small wave as he walked away. He maneuvered himself through the crowd, hoping to find a good spot where he could see the stage.

"How's your first day going, little sister?" He heard Yang's voice echo through his mind.

When he glanced back towards Yang, he saw she was accompanied by a petite girl with black red hair, silver eyes and a red cape. She seemed to be agitated from the way she spoke, "You mean since you ditched me and I exploded?"

Huh, so she was the one who made the explosion. "Yikes, meltdown already?" Yang questioned.

The girl frowned, "No, I literally exploded a hole in front of the school. There was some fire and…I think some ice."

Yang grinned amusedly, "Are you being sarcastic?"

The smaller girl scoffed, "I wish. I tripped over some crabby girl's luggage, and then she yelled at me, and then I sneezed, and then I exploded, and then she yelled again. I felt really, really bad and I just wanted her to stop yelling at me."

"You!" He watched a white haired, blue eyed girl exclaim at the red hooded girl. He was sure that was the Schnee girl.

The red haired girl jumped into Yang's arms frightfully, "Oh god, it's happening again!"

His lips twitched in amusement as he continued to listen. The white haired girl glared at the red haired one, putting her hands on her hips, "You're lucky we weren't blown off the side of the cliff."

Yang's eyes widened as she regarded her younger sister, "Oh my god, you really exploded."

"It was an accident," The younger sister insisted, getting out of Yang's arms. "It was an accident."

He blinked when the white haired girl shoved a pamphlet in the shorter one's face. "What's this?" Red asked.

"The Schnee Dust Company is not responsible of any injuries or damages sustained by operating a Schnee Dust Company product. Although not mandatory, the Schnee family highly encourages to read and familiarize themselves with this easy to follow guide to dust application practice in the field." Her voice sped up for some reason at the end of the lecture.

He was getting a headache from just listening. "Uh…" Red blinked, murmuring confusedly.

"You really wanna start making things up to me?" Schnee questioned.

"Absolutely," Red answered feebly.

Schnee shoved the pamphlet in her hands, "Read this and don't ever speak to me again." Well she's just a ray of sunshine, Onyx thought with a roll of his eyes.

Yang scratched the back of her head awkwardly, "Look, uh…" She gave a forced chuckle. "Sounds like you two just got off on the wrong foot. Why don't you start over and try to be friends, okay?"

Red nodded excitedly, reminding him of a puppy, "Yeah, great idea, sis." She outstretched her hand towards the white haired heiress. "Hello, Weiss. I'm Ruby. Wanna hang out? We can go shopping for school supplies."

"Yeah," Weiss replied with feigned enthusiasm. "And we can paint our nails, and try on clothes, and talk about cute boys like tall, blond and scraggly over there."

Onyx muffled his snort when he saw her point at Jaune who was several feet behind her. Ruby apparently didn't get her sarcasm and grinned happily, "Wow, really?"

Weiss flatly replied, "No."

Onyx's ears were assaulted by the sound of a microphone turning on. He winced, moving his eyes to the stage where Headmaster Ozpin stood. The grey haired male cleared his throat, "I'll keep this brief."

He pushed up his glasses as he began. "You have traveled here today in search of knowledge. To hone your craft and acquire new skills. And when you've finished, you plan to dedicate your life for the protection of the people. But I look amongst you and all I see is wasted energy in need of purpose; direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step."

Onyx was lucky he had great eye sight. He locked eyes with the man and saw his discreet nod towards him. He gestured for the younger boy to follow him. He nodded back minutely, seeing the man walk away as Glynda walked up to the microphone, "You will gather in the ball room tonight. Tomorrow your initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed."

Onyx pushed through the crowd, finding Ozpin easily. He fell into step with him, "Sir."

Ozpin regarded him, continuing to walk, "Follow me, Mr. Lupin. We will speak in my office."

Moments later, Ozpin opened the door to his office and immediately went to his coffee maker. He poured himself coffee in his mug and gestured to the seat in front of his desk, "Have a seat, Mr. Lupin." He sipped his coffee as he sat in his chair.

Onyx sat down in front of him, lacing his fingers and tapping his thumbs together, "This is about my grandfather's letter, right?"

"That is correct," Ozpin nodded, taking another gulp of the dark beverage. "Now, he says you encountered a Beowolf when you were 5 years old. That encounter left you an orphan. From that day on, you have been encountering that Beowolf every night for the past 12 years."

Onyx swallowed thickly, feeling his eyes sting with unshed tears, "Yes that is true."

Ozpin dragged his eyes up to the young man in front of him, "Why did you decide to join Beacon Academy?"

"I want to protect the innocent people of this world," The dark eyed young man replied, his eyes hardening with determination. "I may be infected by a Grimm but that doesn't mean I'm not human. I want to save this world as much as the next huntsman and huntress. You don't discriminate against Faunus so I am asking you not to discriminate against me."

Ozpin regarded him intensely, staring over his glasses. He smirked, setting his mug down, "Well said." He chuckled at the breath the young man released. He frowned, "But, you must know that I have to inform the other staff members of this particular…Grimm problem you have."

"I understand," Onyx nodded solemnly.

"Also," The older man drawled out. "Your grandfather told me you can control it, so there's no need for me to be cautious. But if you ever need to run freely in your Grimm form under the moon, you may do so as long as you don't harm anyone."

"Understood."

"You are dismissed," Ozpin stated. As he Onyx began to leave, he spoke up again, "And Mr. Lupin?" The raven haired boy turned to him. He gave a small smile, "Do yourself a favor and tell your friends and teammates of this. They deserve to know. It will also show you who you can trust."

Onyx nodded and opened the door, "Thank you, Professor Ozpin. I'm glad you understand." He walked out of the office. As he continued to walk towards the ballroom, he noticed everyone changing into their sleepwear. He sighed, going into the locker room and finding his bag.

He took off his clothes and grabbed his black pajama pants, slipping them on. He then grabbed his red thermal and threw it on. Hearing a groan, he turned around and found Jaune glaring at the light blue onesie in his hands.

His lips twitched amusedly. He reached into his bag, pulling out a pair of dark sweats, and walked up to Jaune, "Hey, Jaune." The blond turned to him questioningly. He held out his pair of sweats, "In case you don't want to wear the onesie."

Jaune took the sweats with a small grin, "Thanks, Onyx. You're a good guy, you know."

"Thanks, Jaune," He replied, stuffing his hands in his pocket. "You can keep those if you want. It's not a problem." He went back to his locker, getting out his headphones, music player, pillow, and blanket before heading into the ballroom.

"Hey, Onyx," Yang winked as she walked by.

Onyx gave her a small smile in return before setting his blanket and pillow on the floor. He sat down, getting out his music player and flipping through the artists. Before he could lift his headphones over his ears, a candle was lit. He lifted his eyes and froze, gazing at the raven haired beauty a few ways away from him.

She was…there was no words to describe her. She had beautiful black hair with a bow perched on top. Her eyes were amber, and they moved quickly through the pages of her book. The rest of her…well, he could already feel a blush over his face.

He could catch her scent from where he was seated. He furrowed his brow confusedly; she smelled like a Faunus but she didn't have any distinguishing Faunus features to prove she was one. Why would she have that smell? Not even people who were around Faunus all the time had that scent.

He was snapped out of his reverie when he saw Yang dragging Ruby and walking up to the girl he was watching. He focused his hearing on the conversation. "Hello," Yang sang, releasing Ruby's arm. "I believe you two may know each other."

"Aren't you that girl that exploded?" Oh dust, even her voice was beautiful.

"Yeah," Ruby chuckled nervously before holding out her hand. "My name's Ruby." The raven haired girl simply went back to her book. Ruby faltered, bringing her arm back and scratching the back of her head, "But you can just call me Crater…uh, actually, you can just call me Ruby."

"Okay," The black haired beauty replied, keeping her eyes on her book.

"What are you doing?" Yang whispered to her sister incredulously.

"I don't know-help me!" Ruby whispered back frantically.

Yang put on a grin, turning back to the book reading girl, "So…what's your name?"

"Blake," The dark haired girl sighed in a bit of annoyance. Blake, huh? Onyx felt a grin erupting on his lips.

"Well Blake, I'm Yang; Ruby's older sister," Yang replied easily, pointing to herself. "I like your bow."

"Thanks."

Despite the curt reply, Yang persevered, "It goes great with your…pajamas."

"Right," Blake drawled.

The two sisters exchanged nervous glances. Onyx wished they would quit while they were ahead, but he really wanted to hear more from Blake. "Nice night, don't you think?" Yang spoke up.

"Yes, it's lovely," Blake replied tersely. "Almost as lovely as this book that I will continue to read as soon as you leave."

While she did seem a bit harsh, Onyx could tell there was something she was trying to hide under that attitude. He remembered when he tried to do that to his grandfather, but the old man was having none of that. Everyone had some kind of story behind the walls around their heart.

"Yeah," Yang shook her head, addressing her sister. "This girl's a lost cause."

"What's it about?" Ruby spoke over her sister.

"Huh?" Blake furrowed her brow confusedly, glancing up at the girl before her.

"Your book," Ruby clarified. "Does it have a name?"

That seemed to get Blake's attention. "Well, it's about a man with two souls," The bow wearing girl answered slowly. "Each fighting for control over his body."

"Oh yeah," Yang mumbled. "That's real lovely."

Ruby stepped forward with a smile, "I love books. Yang used to read to me every night before bed; stories of heroes and monsters. They're one of the reasons I want to be a huntress."

Blake chuckled, "Why is that? Hoping you'll live happily ever after?"

"I'm hoping we all will," Ruby stated a bit meekly. "As a girl, I wanted to be just like those heroes in the books. As someone who fought for what was right and someone who protected people who couldn't protect themselves."

"That's…very ambitious for a child," Blake let loose a small smile, and Onyx could feel his heartbeat rising. She then frowned, "Unfortunately the real world isn't the same as a fairy tale."

Ruby grinned, "Well, that's why we're here; to make it better."

"Oh, I'm so proud of my baby sister," Yang cooed, lifting Ruby into her arms.

The younger girl choked, wiggling in the blonde's arms, "Gah, cut it out." She threw a punch at Yang's face as they proceeded to brawl on the floor.

Onyx watched in amusement while Blake tried to hide hers, "Well, Ruby, Yang; it's been a pleasure to-"

She was cut off by the Schnee heiress who stormed up to the brawling sisters, "What in the world is going on over here? Don't you realize some of us are trying to sleep?" She scowled when she realized who she was talking to.

"Oh, not you again!" Both she and Yang shouted indignantly.

Ruby shushed them frantically, "Guys, she's right. People are trying to sleep."

"Oh, now you're on my side," Weiss grouched.

"I was always on your side," Ruby insisted.

"Yeah, what's your problem with my sister?" Yang demanded angrily. "She's only trying to be nice."

Weiss stomped her foot, "She's a hazard to my health."

Blake blew out the candle, leaving them in darkness. Onyx's night vision kicked in just as Jaune stumbled into his legs. He gazed up at the frightened blond, "Yeah, Jaune?"

Jaune grinned uneasily, "Mind if I sleep over here?"

Onyx sighed, "Go for it." He lifted his headphones over his ears and laid down on his pillow. A good night's sleep sounded like paradise right now.


	2. Team ORCL (Oracle)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This time his life was going to have a lot more people in it.

_Speak to me_  
_When all you got to keep is strong_  
_Move along, move along like I know you do_  
_And even when your hope is gone_  
_Move along, move along just to make it through_  


…

Onyx yawned, stretching as he sat down at one of the tables for breakfast. He licked his lips, pouring more than a generous amount of maple syrup on his gigantic stack of pancakes. He bit into the first one, reveling in the soft, fluffiness in the meal. He then dug in with gusto and the 20 pancakes on his plate were gone in minutes.

He burped, licking his lips to get rid of the left over syrup. Oh, that was good. He had made pancakes before, and while his grandfather said they were great, he didn't really think the same. Maybe it was because he made them that he thought others were better?

Before he could continue his train of thought, he felt someone glomp his back. He stiffened, turning to the intruder. The short orange haired, turquoise eyed girl hugging him grinned widely, "I declare you my pancake buddy!"

He laughed uneasily, glancing at the black haired boy behind her. The other male was wearing green tail coat. His eyes were magenta and he had the same color streak on a lock of his hair. He seemed passive, but he could see the small glint of affection in his eyes.

Onyx stood up with the girl on his back and gave a wobbly grin, "Uh…hi. I'm Onyx. Nice to meet you…pancake buddy."

The girl's grin widened even further, if that was possible. She glomped him once more, exclaiming, "I'm Nora and this is Ren. We came to Beacon together…but not together-together. Not that there's anything wrong with R-"

"Nora," Ren spoke over her rant patiently.

"Yes, Ren?"

"We should get to the locker room."

Nora nodded rapidly, "Right. You're right, Ren." She grabbed her friend's arm and began walking away with him. She shouted over her shoulder, "Bye, pancake buddy!"

"Bye," Onyx mumbled, waving weakly. He sighed, following the two to the locker room. Once he got there, he could hear Nora rambling as he got his gloves and dust bracelets out of his locker. He could also hear Yang and her sister conversing while Jaune was doing something with Weiss and a red haired girl who looked familiar.

 _"Would all first year students please report to Beacon Cliff for initiation. Again, all first year students report to Beacon Cliff immediately,"_ Glynda's voice rang out over the intercom. He straightened his gloves and tightened his bracelets before walking out of the locker room.

He grunted when he felt an arm wrap around his neck. His face was then pushed into a familiar pair of breasts. His voice was muffled, "Hello, Yang."

"Hey, Onyx," Yang grinned as they walked out of the school. "You ready for initiation?"

Onyx glanced at her bracelets before sighing against her jacket, "Ready as I'll ever be, I guess. You know anything about the whole team thing?"

"Oh, I'm sure Ozpin will explain it to us," She answered and ruffled his hair teasingly. Moments later, they were on Beacon Cliff and were instructed to stand on the launch pads.

Onyx gazed out towards the Emerald Forest, smelling all the different scents of the Grimm lying in wait. He glanced at the Schnee heiress next to him, but said nothing. He hoped to Monty that he got a team with good, trusting people.

Ozpin began, "For years, you have trained to become warriors. Today, your abilities will evaluated in the Emerald Forest."

"Now," Glynda continued. "I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of teams. Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion; each of your will be given teammates…today."

"What? Oh." He could hear Ruby's whine of distress.

"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon," Ozpin stated. "So it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well." Ruby's distress cries grew. "That being said; the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years."

He could practically hear Ruby's heartbreaking. "See? I told you," Nora spoke triumphantly, jabbing her finger into Ren's arm.

Ozpin went on with his instructions, "After you partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition on the way. Do not hesitate to destroy anything in your path or you will die. You will be monitored and graded for the duration of your initiation. But our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics. Each pair must choose one and return to the top of the cliff. You will guard that item, as well as your standing, and grade you appropriately. Are there any questions?"

"Yeah, um…sir?" Jaune raised a shaky hand.

"Good," Ozpin said. "Now, take your positions."

Onyx sighed, stretching his arms as he tensed his legs. He was shot off quickly and launched into the sky. He felt the air hitting his face harshly as he flew through the air. He breathed deeply, letting his inner Beowolf peek out.

When he opened his eyes, instead of the charcoal color they once were, they were Grimm red. His canines elongated and his fingers broke and brought themselves back together as they grew longer and his nails grew sharper.

He roared loudly, breaking through the trees that appeared in front of him. He then stuck his hand in one, stopping himself. He dropped down from the tree, hitting the ground and calming himself to change back into his human form.

He breathed deeply and began to walk onwards. His lips twitched as he heard Yang overhead, laughing boisterously. He scratched his head, frowning when he heard Jaune's cries in the air. Before he could think anything of it, the cries stopped and Jaune shouted, _"Thank you!"_

 _"I'm sorry!"_ Was the reply he heard from ways away.

 _"Yang!"_ He heard Ruby shout. Judging from where her voice came from, she was most likely very far from her sister.

He shook his head, continuing to walk down the path he had fallen on. From his sense of smell, there were many Grimm that were already attacking some of the others, but fortunately, they were far from him.

He froze when he heard a twig snap just a few feet away from him. He spun around quickly, readying _Stark_. He blinked at the red haired, red eyed girl before him. She seemed a bit short to him; then again, he was around 6 feet tall. Well, this was his partner now.

Onyx got up from his defensive stance while deactivating _Stark_ , "Hi."

"Hi, partner," The girl grinned, waving at him. "I'm Rebekah. It's great to meet you." She wore a blue button up with it buttoned up to the middle revealing a red tank top underneath. She had on black leather high waisted shorts and black combat boots. Her hair was put up in a high ponytail.

"Onyx," He replied. He noticed a certain type of bow in her hands and a pack of arrows on her back. "Nice weapon."

She laughed happily, skipping up to him, "Why thank you, kind sir." She took out one of her arrows and twirled it around. " _Swift Wind._ It's my bow and my bladed beauty. I'm pretty good with my aim as well."

He gave a small smile as they continued to walk, "That's good to hear. I'm glad I got a competent partner."

She smiled in thanks before speaking, "What about your weapon?"

He brought up his gloved hands, keeping his senses open and ready, "My gloves and bracelets; _Stark_. The bracelets hold dust which allows my gloves to shoot off lightning, ice, wind, and fire." With his hearing stretched out, he could hear what sounded like gunshots and he could smell the burning of trees.

He paused when he caught a familiar scent of Beowolves. He exhaled lightly, taking off _Stark_ , jacket, shirt, shoes, socks, and belt. His pants were stretchable and were able to take the Grimm form without ripping which he was glad for.

Rebekah stared at him in disbelief, "Um…what are you doing?" She readied her weapon when Beowolves began to circle them. "Onyx, get your weapon."

"You're my partner for the next four years, right?" Onyx questioned, glaring at the Grimm in front of them. He got down to all fours, "If you're gonna be my partner, we're gonna have to trust each other."

When one of the Beowolves roared, his eyes turned red, his canines grew longer and his body broke and repaired itself to become larger. His skin grew dark as hair grew all along his body. He roared at the Beowolves and began to charge at them, leaving his shocked partner behind.

He went through the new species of Beowolves easily. His ripped out one's throat and tore the others to shreds. When they were dead at his feet, he huffed harshly, letting his body contort back into his human form.

He swallowed, turning back to the red haired girl who was still staring in shock and eyed her cautiously, "Rebekah?"

Rebekah inhaled and Onyx waited on baited breath. She then grinned widely, shouting, "That was amazing, Onyx!"

He laughed in relief, feeling his eyes sting a bit as he put his clothes and weapons back on, "Thanks, Rebekah. I'm glad you understand."

She waved her hand dismissively, "It's a good advantage. I'm glad my partner is so awesome. Now we really have nothing to worry about." She beamed excitedly, "What other stuff do you get from being a Grimm?"

He chuckled, strapping his bracelets on tightly as he began walking with her, "Well, I have super speed, strength, hearing, smell, taste, vision, agility, reflexes, stamina, endurance, vulnerability, and jumping. I have a bigger and better bite, I'm more powerful under the moon, I can heal quickly as long as it's not fatal, I have retractable claws, poisons don't affect me, my body adapts easily with weather and environment, I have night vision, and my mind changes to a predators when I'm in my Grimm form. That's pretty much the gist of it."

Rebekah gasped loudly, her eyes shining, "Super leaps? Me too!" Suddenly, she shot off in the air, much to his surprise and shock. She landed a moment later, buzzing around him, "That's my semblance. What's yours?"

His lips twitched amusedly, "Empathetic healing and wound transferal. It helps that I can regenerate."

"Oh, so like medical?" She nodded understandingly. She then gazed around, "You think we're close to the temple?"

"He said it's on the north end of the forest," He answered, fanning his hearing out. He blinked at the _"Grrryaaaahh"_ sound coming from afar. "I think I hear a sloth."

Rebekah snorted, "Maybe. Now," She clapped her hands, grinning, "Let's get that super speed on the road, shall we?"

Onyx sighed with a small smile, "Get on my back." His partner squealed in delight, holstering her weapon and jumping on his back. "Hold on tight." He felt her arms wrap around his throat as he sped off towards the temple.

He stopped when he saw the old temple. He let Rebekah off his back and walked up to it with her. He grinned when he saw the chess pieces on stands, "We're here."

Rebekah cheered excitedly, gazing at the relics, "What should we get? There are so many."

Onyx walked up to them before grabbing one of the white bishop pieces, "How about this guy?"

"Right on," Rebekah chuckled, giving him a two finger salute.

He laughed, gesturing to his back again, "Come on. Let's get moving." He suppressed his grunt when his partner jumped on his back once more. He breathed deeply before shooting off.

Moments later, they were in front of Ozpin who gave them a small smile as he continued to watch others on his scroll, "Good, you're back. Now we just have to wait for the others to start the ceremony."

They nodded, "Yes, sir." Onyx and Rebekah walked where Glynda had shown them to and sat down.

Rebekah sighed, crossing her legs and putting her elbow on her thigh. She leaned her head on her hand, "Honestly, I thought it was going to be more challenging."

"Sorry," Onyx chuckled, putting his hands behind his head. "You said being my partner would make everything easy."

She sighed and nodded, but kept a smile on her face, "That's true."

Luckily for them, they only had to wait a little over half an hour before everyone came back. Onyx stood with Rebekah as they watched other teams being formed. The two of them soon went up with another young man who was blond and had ram horns on his head and a dark haired girl.

The blond Faunus wore jeans, black combat boots, a green long sleeved polo and guards on his forearms. On his shoulders rested his weapons; curved blades that were almost identical to his horns; the trigger to the gun was visible which meant his weapon was more than just a blade. He was only a few inches taller than Onyx himself, and while he looked buff, he seemed to have the air of a delicate person.

The dark haired girl with short hair, who seemed to be at the same height as Rebekah, wore a white blouse under a blue letterman's jacket. She had on a skirt and leggings underneath as well as blue sneakers and shin guards. Attached to her back was her weapon which was a large assault rifle. He could see the teeth of a chainsaw just underneath the muzzle of the gun.

"Callie Kepner, Onyx Lupin, Rebekah Oswald, Lando Wagner," Ozpin announced as the four of them stood before him. Their pictures all moved in a line, each of their initials of their first name popping up below. The name formed ORCL. "You both received the white bishop pieces. From this day forward, you will be known as Team Oracle led by…Onyx Lupin."

Onyx stared at the headmaster wide eyed, barely feeling Rebekah grabbing onto his arm and squealing happily. They were moved off stage as four boys went on. The dark eyed boy huffed out an uneasy laugh, "W-wow."

Lando, the blond, smiled, his green eyes shining happily, and held out his hand, "Nice to meet you, Captain. I'm Lando."

Onyx shook his hand, trying to smile back despite his shaking lips, "Onyx. Nice to meet you too."

"I'm Callie," The blue eyed girl grinned, shaking everyone's hand. "I'm so glad we're on a team together. I can't wait to go on missions with you guys."

"Rebekah," The red head grinned as well before she and Callie began to converse.

Onyx turned around to look back on the stage and saw Jaune, the red head girl from the locker room, Nora and Ren on the stage. He heard Ozpin speaking, "Jaune Arc, Lie Ren, Pyrrha Nikos, Nora Valkyrie; the four of you retrieved the white rook pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team Juniper." The letters on the screen spelled JNPR. Nora glomped Ren excitedly. "Led by…Jaune Arc."

Onyx gave a small grin, seeing Jaune gape in shock at the announcement. Pyrrha was beaming happily; one would think she was the leader from how delighted she looked. She then gave a punch to Jaune who fell to the floor as he was still stunned by the news.

They were led off the stage as Ruby, Weiss, Blake and Yang came up. He listened eagerly for this one. "And finally, Blake Belladonna, Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, and Yang Xiao Long. The four of you retrieved the white knight pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team Ruby." The letters on the screen spelled RWBY. "Led by…Ruby Rose."

He clapped with everyone else, chuckling when Yang glomped her sister, beaming proudly. Ozpin chuckled as well, "Looks like things are shaping up to be an interesting year."

Team RWBY got off the stage. Onyx then felt two people squeeze him in a hug. He choked for breath, glancing around frantically at the intruders. He spied a familiar head of blonde hair on one head and orange on another.

"Nora, Yang…hey…" He croaked between the small breaths of air he found in him.

"Pancake buddy!" Nora exclaimed happily, clinging onto his back. "You're the leader of your team. You're just like Jaune. Have you met Jaune? Jaune, come over here and meet my pancake buddy!"

Jaune laughed uneasily, waving weakly to the raven haired boy, "Hey, Onyx."

"Hey, Jaune," Onyx coughed once Yang finally released his front. He gave a small smile, "Nice job on becoming leader."

Jaune scratched the back of his head, his smile looking a bit forced, "R-Right."

The Grimm boy's face was once again shoved in Yang's bust as she shouted, "Introductions, everyone. Guys, this is Onyx Lupin. I met him yesterday before Ozpin's announcement."

"So did I," Jaune added.

"Hi, Onyx," Everyone, minus Team ORCL, Nora and Ren greeted.

"Onyx, this is Ruby; my little sister, Team RWBY's leader, and the youngest girl at Beacon," Yang introduced him to the red hooded girl.

Onyx waved at her, though his face was still shoved into Yang's bosom, "Hi, Ruby. Nice to meet you."

Ruby laughed amusedly, "You too, Onyx."

Yang pointed to the Schnee heiress, "That's Weiss. She's Ruby's partner."

"Hello."

"Hi," Weiss gave a slight roll of her eyes.

"This here is my partner; Blake," Yang stated, wrapping her free arm around a disgruntled Blake.

Blake huffed, "Hi, Onyx."

Onyx swallowed, hoping to Monty that his face wasn't as red as he thought it was, "H-Hi, Blake." Even close up, he couldn't see any Faunus features on her. How was it that she had that scent? Lando had the scent of a ram, but it was obvious what his Faunus features were.

Jaune piped up next, "Well, since you know Nora and Ren, here's my partner; Pyrrha Nikos."

Pyrrha Nikos; Onyx blinked in realization. That's why she looked so familiar. She was the champion of the Mistral tournaments that his grandfather watched. He gave her a polite smile, "Hi, Pyrrha. Nice to meet you."

"And you, Onyx," Pyrrha nodded with a smile as well.

Once Onyx was finally free of Yang's death grip, he stood straight and gestured to his teammates, "These are my teammates; Rebekah, Callie, and Lando. We all just met today though."

The teams exchanged greetings once more before Glynda showed everyone to their dorms. Once there, they found all their belongings in the rooms. Rebekah acted quickly and jumped on one of the beds, claiming it.

Lando smiled a bit hesitantly, "So, Onyx. What kind of weapon do you use?"

"Gloves working with dust bracelets," Onyx answered, giving him a small smile in hopes that he would relax. "I can shoot off dust through the gloves. What about you?"

"Curved blades that double as sawed off shotguns," the blond Faunus gave a sheepish smile. "It was my dad's before he passed it onto me. Callie uses an assault rifle that is also a chainsaw in case you were wondering."

Onyx glanced at the two conversing girls before nodding, "That is good to know. Rebekah uses a bow and arrow that's also a bladed weapon." He paused, biting his lips conflictingly. He might as well tell them his secret now. No time like the present. "Actually, I have something to tell you and Callie."

The blond and dark haired girl stopped what they were doing and stared at their leader. Rebekah gave him an encouraging smile. Onyx swallowed dryly, "I'm a Grimm. I can change into a Beowolf but I have it under control so there's nothing to be afraid of. Since we're a team and we're friends, I thought you should know that."

Silence.

Onyx clenched his fists, waiting on the two shell shocked teammates to say something; anything really. His heart pounded loudly in his ears and his hands began to shake anxiously. Lando's green eyes softened as he smiled, "Who am I to judge? I've been judged all my life and if there's one thing I've learned; no one deserves to be made less than what they're really worth."

Callie giggled, grinning at her team leader, "Your secret's safe with me, Captain."

Onyx let out a shaky breath of relief, wiping the tear that had made its way down his cheek. He grinned widely, feeling his cheeks shake from the foreign move, "Let's get some sleep, guys. Our first day of classes is tomorrow."


	3. Breaking and Mending Friendships

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first person to find out about his Grimm infection, besides his teammates, is Jaune. It could've gone better.

Chapter 3

_You are not the only one_  
_Who feels very insecure_  
_So I don't wanna say something to let you down_  
_Now I'll take you by the hand_

_Don't be afraid_

…

"Blergh," Onyx groaned sleepily, smacking his lips together as the tresses of sleep and his dreams slowly left. He grimaced when he felt the bad aftertaste his mouth had and worried the others would be able to smell his morning breath.

He rubbed his eyes as he sat up and gazed around the room while he took his headphones off. He blinked at the two faces in front of him, looking very expectant and excited. He furrowed his brow when he noticed they were wearing their uniforms as he put a bandaged hand over his mouth to cover his horrid breath, "What are you guys doing?"

Callie beamed, jumping on his bed. From the corner of his eye, he could see Lando, clad in his school uniform, shaking his head from his bed. Rebekah laughed, "We have our first day of classes. Forgive us for being excited."

Onyx sighed mentally; he did not want his teammates to die from his breath on the first day of classes. "Right," He got up and stretched. "Just let me get dressed and we'll be going. What time does the first class start?"

"Nine," Callie answered giddily, laying her head on her leader's pillow. "Don't worry. It's 7:40 right now so you got time."

The leader of Team ORCL nodded and went to the restroom to do what he needed. Moments later, he came back refreshed, dressed in the school uniform, and without his lethal breath. He put on a small smile for his teammates while straightening his tie, "Alright, are we ready?"

Callie hopped off his bed, bellowing, "Lead the way, Captain!" Rebekah grinned with her while Lando couldn't resist smiling.

Onyx chuckled and walked out the door with the rest of his team. Rebekah sidled up to him as Lando and Callie began conversing. He could hear Callie reassuring her partner that she would chop up anyone who dared make fun of his horns. "So," Rebekah began, giving him a small smile. "You sleep with headphones on?"

The dark haired boy hummed, smiling back, "Yeah. The walls of the dorms, though some may not know it, are very thin. I could hear Team RWBY messing around in their room. They put up bunk beds."

"Bunk beds?" Callie gasped excitedly, jumping up and down. "We should totally do that."

"I don't think so, sorry," Lando stated apologetically with a smile. "We don't have the tools for it."

"We have the weapons," Callie supplied with a grin.

Onyx chuckled amusedly, "Sorry, Callie. We can't. I'm pretty sure Team RWBY used some kind of weird methods to actually make the bunk beds."

Callie sighed in defeat and slumped her shoulders, "Okay, Captain." Rebekah rubbed her shoulder, hoping to comfort her.

Onyx was glad her attention was diverted. He didn't want her to bring up why he slept with bandages on his hands. He glanced down at his palms; maybe one day he'd tell them everything. They were his team after all, and he was their leader.

They made it to the classroom with several minutes to spare. Onyx stared at the man in front of him with his big, thick grey mustache that seemed to be his mouth. "Hello, young man," The man greeted jovially, the mustache moving as he spoke.

"Hello," Onyx responded hesitantly as his teammates went to take a seat in the class.

The man stood tall before him, "Are you Mr. Onyx Lupin?" At the younger male's nod, he gave a relieved nod. Onyx assumed he must've been asking every dark haired male in the classroom if they were him. "Professor Ozpin has told me of your situation. I'd like to have a word with you after class."

Onyx nodded, forcing a smile on his heavy lips, "Al-"

He was cut off by the yelp that escaped his lips when four bodies seemed to collide with his own. His forehead smacked into the ground, leaving a cracked tile on the floor. He paled a bit before trying to stand as the weight on his back finally left.

He blinked at the gloved hand that appeared in front of his face. He glanced up and saw Jaune's easy going smile. He smiled back and took the blond's hand. Immediately, he felt the nerves and jitters radiating from the taller male. Glancing at Jaune again, he could see an almost determined glint in his eyes. He felt bad when he took his hand out of his and watched the nerves frazzle the blond once more.

"Sorry about that, Onyx," Ruby apologized sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head as she stood up with her team. "I guess we were going a little too fast."

Weiss rolled her eyes as they went to find their seats, "That wouldn't have happened if you would've checked the time properly."

Ruby pouted, looking almost like a puppy, and muttered as she walked behind her partner, "She would've still been asleep if I didn't wake her up."

Onyx snorted amusedly before walking up the steps and sitting next to his teammates who were only one row higher than team RWBY. He could see Jaune all the way at the end of the row.

"So that was a thing," Rebekah joked in a whisper next to her. He simply shook his head with a small smile.

After everyone was seated, Professor Port began his lecture, "Monsters, demons, prowlers of the night; yes, the creatures of Grimm have many names."

Even Onyx, the Grimm boy thought to himself despondently. He leaned his head on his hand, frowning. He blinked when he felt a sharp elbow dig into his side. He turned his head and saw Rebekah shaking her head, Lando smiling reassuringly and Callie…Callie was asleep already.

"But I merely refer to them as prey. Ha-ha!" Port continued, doing a little jig at his lame joke. Onyx knew he would be able to hear the crickets even without his super hearing. "Uh…" Port mumbled before speaking up. "And you shall too upon graduating from this prestigious academy.

"Now as I was saying. Vale as well as the other three kingdoms are safe havens in an otherwise treacherous world. Our planet is absolutely teeming with creatures that would love nothing more than to tear you to pieces. That's where we come in; Huntsmen, Huntresses."

He made a clicking noise with his tongue and winked at Yang who chuckled uncomfortably. Onyx was a little grossed out at the little display Port put on. Was it really necessary to do?

"Individuals who have sworn to protect those who cannot protect themselves," Port continued after his failed, and gross attempt at flirting with his students. "From what you ask; why, the very world."

A beat of silence passed before a random student stood up and raised his fist while shouting, "Ayyy-yup!" They all turned to him, giving him various gazes of disbelief and skepticism. He sat back down, embarrassed by his random shout.

Port continued on, "That is what you are training to become. But first; a story. A tale of a young, handsome man…me! When I was a boy…"

Onyx rolled his eyes, wishing he could tune him out. He glanced at his teammates once more, seeing Callie still sleeping, Lando diligently taking notes, and Rebekah trying to keep her eyes open. When he glanced down at team RWBY, he saw Ruby doodling on her paper while the Weiss was listening to the professor's babbling.

"…Despite smelling of cabbages, my grandfather was a wise man. 'Peter' he told me…"

Crap, he thought. Now he didn't know what the dust the professor was talking about. Oh well, he'd just have to ask Lando later. The blond looked like he was listening intently just like Weiss.

He glanced down again when he heard Ruby snickering. She lifted up her paper, showing her teammates her drawing of 'Professor Poop' and made a farting noise. Yang laughed while Blake chuckled quietly.

Onyx bit his lip, his shoulders shaking from restrained laughter. He could hear Rebekah snickering. Lando even let loose a small smile despite paying attention to the story. Callie was still peacefully dreaming.

Port cleared his throat, causing the mischief makers to quiet down. He frowned…or Onyx assumed he did. He couldn't see behind his mustache. "In the end, the Beowolf was no match for my sheer tenacity, and I returned to my village with the beast in captivity and my head held high, celebrated as a hero."

Onyx picked at the bandages on his hands. Though he knew he wasn't technically a full on Grimm, it still hurt to think that someone one day would try to kill him for what he was; they wouldn't care because he was a Grimm and Grimm had no feelings. That person would be celebrated as a hero for his death.

He bowed to the students, "The moral of the story? A true huntsmen must be honorable."

Ruby was suddenly balancing an apple, a textbook, and a pencil on her finger. While Onyx applauded her skills in balance, he wondered how the heck she even got the apple to begin with.

"A true huntsmen must be dependable."

Uh-oh, he thought as he could practically feel the waves of anger emitting from Weiss. This wasn't going to be good. Ruby was just adding it on by pretending to be asleep.

"A true huntsmen must be strategic, well educated, and wise."

His lips twitched when he saw Ruby picking her nose which only served to heat Weiss' glare on the younger girl.

"So, who among you believes themselves to be the embodiment of these traits?" Port asked as he finally finished talking.

Weiss hand shot straight up as she almost growled out, "I do, sir!"

"Well then," Port spoke happily. "Let's find out." He moved his gaze towards the cage at the end of the room which seemed to suddenly appear. The Grimm inside was rattling the cage fiercely, growling viciously. "Step forward and face your opponent."

Onyx sniffed the air as the Grimm growled, almost cringing when he realized what the white haired girl was going against. "A Boarbatusk." He mumbled as Weiss went off to change.

"How can you tell?" Rebekah whispered, flinching when the Boarbatusk growled again. The growl almost filling the classroom and stopping the whispers.

"By its scent," Onyx answered as Weiss came back. "Each Grimm has a different scent from the other. Even the new Beowolves have different scents from the old ones."

Weiss readied her weapon as she stood in front of the cage. Yang cheered, "Go, Weiss!"

Blake waved a small flag while smiling, "Fight well!"

"Yeah!" Ruby exclaimed excitedly. "Represent Team RWBY!"

Weiss dropped from her stance and turned to her leader with a hard frown, "Ruby, I'm trying to focus."

Onyx could see Ruby deflate from the scolding, "Oh," The girl with the red hood responded sheepishly, lowering her arms. "Um…sorry."

He felt bad for her. He knew Weiss was only after Ruby because she was younger, immature, and she was the leader instead of her. Still, she had no right to snap at Ruby who really did nothing wrong other than just play around in class.

"Alright," Port began with his weapon in hand. "Let the match begin!" He used the axe on his weapon to break the lock on the cage, revealing the angered boarbatusk.

The Boarbatusk growled and charged at Weiss who sidestepped and swiped at it, only for her attack to deflect off its armor. The Grimm creature stopped in front of her, seemingly studying her.

"Ha-ha!" Port laughed. "Wasn't expecting that, were you?"

"Hang in there, Weiss," Ruby encouraged her partner.

Onyx watched as Weiss glided on the floor towards the Grimm. He shook his head disapprovingly when her attack was blocked and her rapier was caught in the tusks of the Boarbatusk.

"Bold, new approach," Port stated jovially. "I like it!"

"Come on, Weiss," Ruby exclaimed, trying to motivate her struggling teammate. "Show it who's boss!"

Weiss paused to glare at Ruby, making another mistake as the Boarbatusk ripped the rapier out of her hands and slammed its tusks into her chest. Weiss grunted as she hit the floor roughly.

Port chuckled, "Oh-ho, now what will you do without your weapon?"

The heiress panted as she got onto her hands and knees. Her eyes widened as the Grimm charged at her. She rolled to the side to avoid any more injury. She ran and slide on the ground, grabbing her weapon.

"Weiss," Ruby shouted. "Go for its belly! There's no armor underneath-"

Said girl turned to her team leader, glaring at her heatedly, "Stop telling me what to do!"

Ruby frowned, hurt by her partner's angered yell and sat back in her seat dejectedly. Onyx crossed his arms, glaring at Weiss. Was she really that mad that she wasn't made team leader that she had to take it out and Ruby? It's not like Ruby asked to be leader. He was just glad that, while he only knew his teammates for less than a day, he still trusted them.

The Boarbatusk jumped into the air, rolling into a ball. It spun rapidly before it hit the floor and sped towards Weiss quickly. The heiress made some form of movement before a glyph suddenly appeared, stopping the Boarbatusk in mid air.

The Grimm fell on its back, exposing its weak spot. Weiss made another glyph in the air behind her. She jumped onto it before launching herself at the Boarbatusk and stabbing it in its belly, effectively killing it.

"Bravo," Port applauded. "Bravo. It appears we are indeed in the presence of a true huntress in training. I'm afraid that's all the time we have for today. Be sure to cover the assigned readings, and stay vigilant. Class dismissed."

Weiss stormed away while Ruby watched her sadly. Onyx could hear Jaune mumble, "Sheesh, what's with her?"

All the students got up and began filing out. Ruby ran out to follow her partner. Onyx stood up, putting his hands in his pockets while his teammates gazed at him. "That was…intense," Rebekah stated awkwardly. "I can't believe she just snapped like that."

"My hands are still shaking," Lando piped up softly, his hands indeed shaking over his binder.

Callie yawned, "What happened?"

Onyx shook his head, "I can't believe it either." He sighed, taking out his schedule, "Well, I got leadership classes right now, so I should get going. You guys gonna be okay?"

"Yeah," Rebekah nodded.

"Hopefully," Lando mumbled.

Callie saluted, suddenly looking full of life, "Yes, my Captain." They began walking down the steps and out of the classroom.

"Right," He chuckled, walking down the steps where he met with Jaune. "Hey, Jaune. Looks like we got another class together." He patted him on the back, "You go on ahead and wait for Ruby. I have to go talk to Professor Port."

Jaune nodded, "I'll be waiting just outside the door with Ruby, okay?" At his friend's nod, he walked out of the classroom.

Onyx walked up to Professor Port who was putting his weapon back on its stand, "You wanted to see me, Professor?"

"Yes," Port answered, clearing his throat. He turned to him, his face, even his mustache, somber, "Ozpin told me, as well as the staff, of your…Grimm problem. I just want you to know that…" The younger male waited on pins and needles. "I have no problem with it."

He blinked in shock while Port chuckled at his bewildered face, "I know I said many of things in my lecture of slaying Grimm, but that doesn't mean I see you as any less of a person, Mr. Lupin. You chose to protect the innocent even with your haunting problem. That shows true courage."

Onyx grinned widely, his eyes swelling with tears, "Thank you, Professor Port. It means a lot to me. Thank you."

"You're welcome, my boy," Port smiled behind his mustache. "Now be on your way. I believe you have leadership classes right now."

"Right," Onyx nodded, giving the professor one last grateful grin before he walked off. He caught up to Jaune and Ruby who were a little ways away from the door. "You guys ready for the next class?"

"Yeah," Ruby mumbled, still in a bit of a slump. Jaune put his hand on her shoulder, hoping to comfort her.

Onyx smiled a bit, putting his hand on the short girl's head and ruffling her hair. She pouted at him while he laughed, "Ruby, I know Weiss is mad right now, but don't let that get you down. She'll come around; I know she will. She just has to accept that Ozpin chose you as leader for a reason."

Ruby smiled as they began walking to the class, "Yeah. That's what Ozpin said. I just hope she comes around soon." She put her hands on her hips, gazing ahead determinedly, "From this day forward, I promise to be the best leader Weiss could ask for."

"How about a leader everyone could be proud of?" Onyx suggested amusedly. Ruby chuckled sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck. A glance upwards showed the dark haired boy a suddenly solemn Jaune.

Before he could say anything, they made it to the class. They sat next to each other and listened to the teacher talk about how team exercises. Onyx was just glad Callie wasn't there to hear it. She would probably think skydiving from a Nevermore would probably be a good idea.

After class, he met with the professor who once again told him they had no problem with his Grimm problem. He slowly felt the weight lifting from his shoulder. As they walked towards the cafeteria, he glanced at his fellow leaders and wondered if he should tell them his secret as well. They were his friends and they probably wouldn't have a problem with it. Well, he hoped they wouldn't.

He ate lunch with his team as well as team JNPR and RWBY; minus the W. He only briefly wondered where Weiss was as he dug into his 10 plates of food. He actually didn't get to finish since Nora was squeezing his arm and Yang was trying to shove his face into the side of breasts.

He was immensely happy when his other teachers such as Professor Oobleck and Professor Peach had no problem with his Grimm problem. Professor Goodwitch went onto a whole lecture saying that while she had no problem with it, she didn't want him losing control during a practice match. He assured her that he wouldn't and that he doubted anyone could make him lose control.

Once all the classes were over, he bid goodnight to the other teams and made way to his team's dorm room which was actually next door to team JNPR's. He took off his uniform and changed into his pajamas.

He hit his bed with a deep sigh of relief. "That good?" Rebekah asked as she sat on her bed which was to the left on Onyx's. She had her scroll open, searching through what looked to be an online clothing store.

He smiled, shifting his head on the pillow, "Well, all the teachers had no problem with me being a Grimm. Professor Goodwitch just told me not to lose control over it during any practice matches."

"That wouldn't happen," Rebekah stated with a snort. "I've seen you fight and man, I don't think anyone's gonna beat you down enough to release your inner Grimm."

He chuckled, "Thank you." He glanced up at the others, seeing Lando reading his textbook and Callie playing on her scroll. He picked at the lining on his pillow before speaking, "Hey, guys?"

They all paused what they were doing to stare at him questioningly. He frowned a bit, "If-you guys don't have a problem with me being leader, right? I mean," He chewed on his lip. "Do you guys wish to be leader? Like, so much you wished Ozpin would've chose you."

Silence echoed through the room before Callie cackled, "Yeah right. Me? A leader? Please, Captain. When Professor Ozpin chose you, I was ecstatic."

Lando smiled lightly, "It never really mattered to me, but I am glad you were chosen, Onyx. I can tell you're a great leader already."

Rebekah threw her pillow at him with a smile, "Come on, partner. You really think I wanted to be leader? Once I laid my eyes on you, I thought 'that's my partner, and he's gonna be great someday'. You're my partner and my friend, Onyx. Of course I'm glad you're leader."

Onyx shoved his face into his pillow, trying to hide the tears flowing down his cheeks, "Thanks, guys."

"DOG PILE ON CAPTAIN!" Callie shouted happily.

Onyx stiffened, raising his head quickly, "Wait, no!"

He could barely feel Callie's and Rebekah's small bodies falling on top of his. He did feel his back crack loudly when Lando's large body decided to join in as well.

…

Several weeks later found team JNPR, RWBY, and ORCL in combat class. Onyx watched Jaune fight Cardin Winchester, the leader of team CRDL, and lose…badly. He honestly didn't want to think that about one of his good friends, but the blond didn't really seem to know what he was doing. Instinct and reflexes could only get him so far.

Jaune was currently panted harshly, glancing up at Cardin who only laughed at his poor performance. He gave a battle cry, charging blindly at Cardin sidestepped and dodged the attack. He then slammed his mace into the blond causing him to hit the floor and lose his shield.

Jaune got up once more and slashed at Cardin. The larger male blocked the sword on the handle of his mace and easily overpowered him. "This is the part where you lose," He taunted.

The blond knight growled, "Over my dead-"

Cardin cut him off by slamming his knee into Jaune's unprotected gut. Jaune coughed as he laid on the ground. He gazed up weakly at Cardin who brought up his mace for the killing attack.

He stopped when the bell rang, signaling the end of the match. "Cardin, that's enough," Glynda announced as she walked to the center of the stage. She began tapping her scroll as she spoke, "Students, as you can see, Mr. Arc's aura has now dropped into the red. In a tournament style duel, this would indicate that Jaune is no longer fit for battle, and that the official may call the match."

Onyx frowned as he watched Jaune pull out his scroll. Glynda turned to her student, "Mr. Arc, it's been weeks now. Please try to refer to your scroll during combat. Gauging your aura will help you decide when it's appropriate to attack or when it is better to move to a more…defensive strategy. We wouldn't want you to be gobbled up by a Beowolf, now would we?"

"Speak for yourself," Cardin mumbled as he walked off stage.

_Crack!_

Rebekah, Callie, and Lando turned to their leader who had just broke the bench they were sitting on. Rebekah acted quickly, taking her leader's head and putting it on her shoulder to cover his glowing red eyes. She didn't know what had made him so angry about Jaune losing the match; they were friends with team RWBY and JNPR, but not even those teams looked angry about Jaune losing. Only Pyrrha looked sad, and everyone, besides Jaune, knew why.

Onyx breathed deeply, feeling his fingers break back into their usual length. He swallowed and brought his head up, giving his teammates a reassuring smile. Rebekah gave him a small nod, silently telling him that his eyes were back to normal.

"Remember everyone," Glynda continued, now speaking towards the students. "The Vytal Festival is only a few months away. It won't be long before students from the other kingdoms start arriving in Vale, so keep practicing. Those who choose to compete in the combat tournament will be representing all of Vale."

The Grimm boy could see Yang punching the air in excitement, Weiss shaking her fists while smiling widely, and Ruby squirming in her seat in anticipation. He stood up with the rest of students as they filed out to lunch. He glanced around before dropping the piece of wood in his hand on the bench.

"You okay?" Rebekah asked once they were out of the classroom and away from the other students. "I know you and Jaune are close, but-"

He shook his head, clenching his jaw when he remembered what Glynda had said, "I'll tell you about it later. Right now…" He sighed shakily, rubbing his eyes when he felt tears sting them. "I'm gonna go for a walk. You guys go on ahead. I'm not that hungry anyways."

While his teammates looked reluctant, they nodded and walked ahead towards the cafeteria. He exhaled, feeling a weight on his heart. The last time he had felt this way was when he found he was a Grimm. He hated the feeling of upcoming depression and had always fought to keep it at bay.

He walked out of the school, taking another deep breath. It didn't help dissipate the lump in his chest. He continued on till he got to a secluded spot where no one could see him. He put his hand on a tree, gritting his teeth when he felt tears overflow from his eyes and pour down his cheeks.

He knew he would never be over his parents' death no matter how much time had passed. The only thing he could remember about them was their smiling faces before they were torn apart by the old Beowolves. It wasn't fair for them. They were retired hunters; they didn't deserve to die.

He choked back a sob, covering his mouth. He could feel the fingers on the hand gripping the tree break and lengthen. His fingers dug into the tree, scraping down and taking the whole bark with his fingers.

"Onyx?" A familiar voice called cautiously. Unfortunately, he knew it wasn't any of his teammates.

He froze, his hand still caught in the tree. He couldn't believe someone actually found him all the way out here. He sniffled, running his forearm over his eyes and cheeks to rid his face from the evidence of tears.

He turned around, finding Jaune behind him. He could see in the blond's dark blue eyes that he held the same depression that was storming through his own. "Hey, Jaune," He rasped before clearing his throat so he could speak clearly. "What brings you out here?"

Jaune shrugged weakly, "Just needed to clear my head, I guess. I was kinda getting tired of my friends questioning me."

"Maybe you shouldn't look so defeated then," Onyx stated, feeling his fingers break back into their normal length once more. He sighed when Jaune's shoulders slumped even more, if that was possible. "Look, Jaune, I know you're mad because of Cardin bullying you-"

"He's not bullying me."

"…but if you want him to stop, you have to start putting your foot down and maybe start training more so you could wipe that smug look off his face," The Grimm boy continued, ignoring Jaune's desperate attempts to save his ego. "Cardin's a bully; we all know that. He goes after you and Faunus because he knows that no one is going to intervene."

"Nora said she'd break his legs," Jaune mumbled, his lips twitching despite his solemn mood.

Onyx smiled instead, "She would." He wiped his hand on his jeans discreetly, ridding his fingers of the tree bark. "I could help you, Jaune, if you want. I know a lot about fighting."

Jaune frowned, scratching his head, "You think I need help?"

The slightly shorter boy sighed, "Jaune, I'm not gonna sugarcoat anything. You're not that great at combat. You've lost every single practice match since the beginning of the year. " He continued on despite Jaune's wincing. "But Jaune, you have potential to became a great hunter. You're just selling yourself short because you keep seeing everyone else coming out on top. My grandfather always said; don't compare your chapter one to someone's chapter twenty."

The blond lifted his head, his face holding a confused expression instead of the deep sorrowful one before, "What do books have to do with it?"

Onyx chuckled despite the seriousness of the situation, "He meant don't compare yourself to people who have trained all their lives. They may hold their heads high, but it took a while for them to get it there."

"Right," Jaune nodded, but the other boy could see he was still unconvinced.

Onyx patted his shoulder as he walked away, "Just think about it, Jaune. My offer will always stand." He began to walk away before paused and turned back to Jaune who was still in the same spot, "Hey, Jaune?"

The blond turned to him questioningly. He smiled once more, "Another quote to help you think about my offer. A great man once said, 'Be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them'."

He gave him a small wave before heading back inside. He made it to his dorm room a minute later and could see Lando studying while Callie was on her scroll and Rebekah was taking stock of her bows.

Lando was the first to greet him, "Hey, Captain. You feeling better?" He smiled lightly, and Onyx could already feel the dread on his chest lightening. He, along with his female teammates, agreed that Lando had the smile of an angel.

He smiled back, "Yeah, I'm fine. It was just something that Professor Goodwitch said that really got to me, that's all."

"Care to share?" Rebekah asked curiously. He knew his partner only wanted to know what was wrong and wasn't prying into his life. They never would pry if he didn't want to share his past.

He exhaled but nodded before sitting on his bed. He scratched his head as he began, "When I was 5, my parents died by a pack of old Beowolves. They were the same pack of Beowolves that turned me into a Grimm. I…" He clenched his fists, feeling his eyes water again. "I had to watch as they were torn apart and eaten in front of me. I couldn't do anything. I couldn't…"

He sobbed brokenly into his hands. He soon felt his teammates wrap their arms around him to comfort him. Lando patted his back soothingly while Callie nuzzled his neck and Rebekah ran her hands through his hair.

They had all fallen asleep on Onyx's bed after that. It was a nice team bonding exercise, he thought to himself.

…

The next day, he sat in Oobleck's class, watching the teacher zip back and forth as he lectured the students. Onyx was glad he had quick reflexes and good vision to know what the green haired man was saying. A glance down at the front row showed him that Jaune was sleeping through most of the class.

"This is prior to the Faunus Rights Revolution, more popularly known as the Faunus War," Oobleck said as he zipped through the room once more, stopping behind his desk. "Human kind was quite, quite adamant about centralizing Faunus population in Menagerie."

He pointed to the spot on the maps behind his desk before zooming off again. "Now! While this must feel like ancient history to many of you, it is imperative to remember that these are relatively recent events. Why, the repercussions of the uprising can still be seen to this day!"

He stopped to sip his coffee. "Now, have any among you been subjugated or discriminated because of your Faunus heritage?"

Onyx could see some students raise their hands. A bunny girl just below them hesitantly raised her hand, as well as Lando. He narrowed his eyes; he'd hunt down anyone who tried to mess with poor Lando.

Oobleck shook his head, "Dreadful, simply dreadful. Remember students, it is precisely this kind of ignorance that breeds violence." He took another sip of his coffee. "I mean, I mean, I mean just look at what happened to the White Fang. Now which one of you young scallions can tell me what many theorize to be the turning point in the third year of the War?" Weiss raised her hand. "Yes?"

"The battle at Fort Castle," She answered proudly.

The teacher nodded, "Precisely! And who can tell me the advantage the Faunus had over General Lagune's forces?"

Onyx watched as Cardin flicked a piece of paper at Jaune who woke up with a 'Hey!' which caught Oobleck's attention. He zipped over to him, "Mr. Arc! Finally contributing to class. This is excellent. Excellent. What is the answer?"

"Uh," Jaune stuttered as he tried to rack his brain with his apparently not vast knowledge. "The answer…the advantage…of the Faunus…" He gazed behind Oobleck and saw Pyrrha cough and try to mouth the answer while pointing at her eyes. "…had over that guy's stuff…" Pyrrha put her hands around her eyes.

"Uhh…binoculars!" He finally answered triumphantly.

The class laughed while Onyx rolled his eyes. That wasn't even close. Oobleck zipped back to his desk while Pyrrha exasperatedly facepalmed and Cardin pounding his desk while chortling, "Very funny, Mr. Arc. Cardin! Perhaps you would care to share your thoughts on the subject."

Cardin stopped his laughter and leaned back in his seat, putting his feet up on the desk, "Well, I know it's a lot easier to train an animal than a soldier."

Onyx glared at him in disgust while Oobleck shook his head and Callie was plotting his death. "You're not the most open-minded of individuals, are you, Cardin?" Pyrrha questioned through her distaste at the male.

Cardin balked, "What? You got a problem?"

Pyrrha shook her head, "No, I have the answer. It's night vision. Many Faunus are known to have nearly-perfect sight in the dark." Cardin growled, mimicking her as he seethed in his seat.

"General Lagune was inexperienced, and made the mistake of trying to ambush the Faunus in their sleep. His massive army was outmatched, and the general was captured," Blake continued. She smirked at Cardin, "Perhaps if he'd paid attention in class, he wouldn't have been remembered as such a failure."

Onyx snickered with his teammates and the rest of the class at Cardin's expense. Cardin got up from his seat with his fists clenched angrily. "Mr. Winchester, please take your seat," Oobleck ordered. He shook his head at Jaune's loud laughter, "You and Mr. Arc can both see me after class for additional readings."

Jaune slumped in his seat, "Ohh…"

"Moving on!"

…

Once they had finished dinner, Onyx noticed Jaune and Pyrrha weren't with their team, they walked back to their dorm. On the way there, Cardin decided to show his ugly mug once more.

As the large male stormed towards them, he shoved Lando roughly, sending the poor boy into the ground. He growled at the fallen blond Faunus, "Watch it, freak. I'm walking here."

"Hey!" Callie fumed, cracking her knuckles. She stopped when Onyx put his arm up to block her. "Captain?"

Onyx glared at Cardin, "Listen here, you ignorant idiot. I don't care if you think you're so big and bad, touch my friends one more time, and I swear that'll be the last time you have hands."

Cardin smirked, poking the shorter male in the chest, "And what are you gonna do about it?"

The larger boy flinched when Onyx grabbed his wrist and slowly put pressure on it, feeling the bones creak under his hand, "Like I said; that'll be the last time you have hands, Winchester."

He let go of his arm, watching as Cardin walked away. He shook his head and helped Lando up. The blond Faunus smiled timidly, "Thanks, Captain."

Onyx patted his arm with a smile, "If anyone ever picks on you again, we'll take care of them. Okay?" He held out his fist.

Lando beamed, bumping fists with his leader, "Okay."

Onyx grinned in response, lowering his arm. He took out his scroll and opened the door to the dorm. They all changed from their school uniform to their combat clothes, though without the weapons and the armor.

When Callie opened the window, Onyx, with his super hearing, could faintly make out what sounded like Jaune shouting at someone from above them. He frowned and got up from his bed. He gave his teammates a reassuring smile, "I gotta take care of something. I'll be back."

Once the door was shut, he sped through the halls and made his way to the sound of Jaune's angered voice. He stopped himself and hid when he saw Pyrrha walk down the stairs leading to the rooftop. He could feel the sorrow radiating from her entire form as she walked away.

He quickly made his way to the stairs and walked up to the door. He opened it to find Cardin holding Jaune in a headlock. He clenched his jaw tightly, "Winchester. What did I tell you about messing with my friends?"

"Lupin," Cardin replied with a wide smile. He let Jaune go abruptly, causing said boy to stumble on the roof. "You're friends with Jaune? Oh, well then he must've told you all about his journey on how he got to Beacon."

"Cardin, please no," Jaune pleaded desperately.

Cardin only chuckled at Onyx's confused expression, "Oh, he didn't? And you call him your friend." His smile became wider, "Why, Jauney-boy here faked his transcripts to get in. He wanted to be a hero so badly, he lied about his skills and stepped on someone else's dream so he could achieve his own."

He grabbed Jaune by his hair tightly and pulled, "How selfish. Don't you think so too, Lupin? We wouldn't want Professor Goodwitch or Ozpin to find out, now would we?"

Onyx gazed at Jaune who could only stare back in shame. He hardened his stare and turned back to Cardin, "I don't care what he did. He's still my friend, so I'm not gonna let you trample all over him like the tyrant you are."

Cardin huffed at his failed plan and threw Jaune away from him. Jaune stumbled over a pipe in his clumsiness and shouted in fright when felt his body fall over the edge. He gripped the side of the roof as he dangled from it, "Help! Onyx! Help me! I can't pull myself up!"

Onyx felt his heart jump to his throat as he ran towards his friend. He grunted when Cardin grabbed his foot, suddenly sending him to the floor. He glared at the larger male, "What the hell?" He crawled towards Jaune as best as he could with Cardin holding his feet.

"Leave him," Cardin said. He got up and wrapped his arms around Onyx, holding his arms in place. "Let him dangle there so he can think about what he's done."

"Please no!" Jaune cried as one of his hands slipped off. "Just pull me up!"

Onyx ripped one arm loose from Cardin's hold, grabbing onto Jaune's arm, "I gotcha, Jaune. Just hold on."

"No, you don't," Cardin grunted. He put his hand over Onyx's and squeezed his fingers to pry them loose.

Unfortunately, he was also squeezing Jaune's arm painfully causing him to let go. Onyx's blood pounded in his ears as time seemed to slow down. Jaune screamed out to the night sky as Onyx's eyes turned red. He reacted quickly. His mouth descended on Jaune's arm, the sharpened teeth catching onto the forearm and holding him in place.

Jaune cried out in pain from the bite. Onyx used all his strength to bring Jaune up and throw him onto the rooftop. He panted heavily, feeling his teeth go down to their normal size. He hoped his eyes went back to their original color. Cardin had finally let him go in shock.

He turned to Jaune who was cradling his bloody arm. He swallowed, standing up and walking over to him, "Jaune-"

"Don't…" Jaune hissed shakily. He brought his gaze up and glared at Onyx, "Don't touch me. Leave me alone and just go."

Onyx furrowed his brow and frowned, "Jaune-"

Jaune kicked his leg weakly while shouting hoarsely, "You think you're helping me, but you're not! I don't even know who you are anymore! Just go! I don't want to see you!"

The raven haired boy felt his eyes sting and clenched his jaw. He thought he could trust Jaune. He knew the boy was frantic and wasn't in his right mind, but it still hurt deeply to be rejected by someone he thought was his friend.

He nodded stiffly, glancing down at Jaune once more before walking away. Neither Jaune nor Cardin noticed the blond's arm glowing as the wound healed. The only evidence that he was ever bit was the torn shirt and blazer on his forearm.

…

A few days later, Onyx really knew that his friendship with Jaune was over. The blond ignored him every time he saw him which confused team JNPR who knew the boys were really good friends. Even team RWBY was concerned. Well, Ruby and Yang were. Blake was indifferent while Weiss just didn't care. Rebekah and Callie, however, wanted to rip Jaune a new one for treating their leader the way he was. Lando just wished he could talk some sense into team JNPR's leader.

Jaune became Cardin's lackey for he didn't want the other boy to tattle on him about his transcripts or the bite Onyx had given him. Not only had he distanced himself from Onyx, he had distanced himself from his own team despite him being leader. Onyx had hoped the blond would come to his senses sooner or later.

The Grimm boy gazed at the red trees in slight awe as he and the other students walked with Professor Goodwitch in Forever Fall. It was nice finally being outside his own hometown. His grandfather rarely let him go anywhere other than school. The only bad thing was that the forest reeked of Grimm, but it was slightly drowned out by the sweet scent of the sap in the trees.

"Yes, students," Glynda began as they walked through the forest. "The forest of Forever Fall is indeed beautiful, but we are not here to sight see. Professor Peach has asked all of you to collect samples from the trees deep inside the forest, and I'm here to make sure none of you die while doing so."

The group stopped before Glynda. Onyx glanced back at Jaune, who was carrying a box and jars, as he bumped into Cardin. The larger boy glared at him while the blond whistled innocently.

Glynda continued while holding an empty jar, "Each of you is to gather one jar's worth of red sap. However, this forest is full of the creatures of Grimm, so be sure to stay by your teammates. We will rendezvous back here by 4 o'clock. Have fun!"

Onyx watched as Jaune tried to sneak away, only to be pulled back by a smirking Cardin. "Come on, buddy. Let's go," He demanded.

Jaune gazed up miserably at Pyrrha who only stared back sadly. He chanced a glance at Onyx who had watched the scene with a frown. The blond dropped his gaze and followed Cardin to one side of the forest.

Onyx then moved his eyes to Pyrrha who sighed in disappointment and continued to walk with the rest of her team. He blinked when he felt a nudge at his side. "You okay?" Rebekah asked worriedly as Lando spotted Callie who balanced her jar on her head.

The Grimm boy nodded before putting on his hood, "I'm fine, Rebekah. Don't worry about me. We got some sap to collect."

They walked to some trees, not far from team (J)NPR and team RWBY. He gave Yang a small wave when she grinned at him. He tilted his head curiously at the tree in front of him before extending a finger forward. His finger broke and lengthened until the end was sharp. He stuck his finger inside, creating a deep hole.

When he retracted his finger, it was filled with the sap from inside the tree. He hurriedly put his jar under the hole and gathered what the tree had to offer. He let his teammates get the rest when his jar was full.

His finger broke back to its original form. He licked the sap on it and almost bit his finger off when he heard the roar of an Ursa. _"That's a big Ursa!"_ He heard from a student from several ways away. The only team in that distance was team CRDL. He clenched his jaw; that meant Jaune was there.

He gave Lando his jar while he tightened his gloves, "Hold onto that. I'll be back." He gave them a small smile, "I just need to make sure Jaune's alright. It won't be long." Before they could open their mouths, he sped off.

When he made it to the clearing, he could see the Ursa smacking Cardin around as if he was a sack of flour. Cardin tried to crawl away while the creature slowly descended upon him. It raised its paw and brought it down on the defenseless boy quickly.

Onyx blinked when he saw the swipe deflected by a shield. Cardin didn't have a shield. His eyes then widened when he saw Jaune push the Ursa back and slash at its chest. It grunted before slamming its paw down at Jaune who jumped out of the way. It hit the floor again causing Jaune to jump. It used that to its advantage and slammed its paw into the blond's chest.

Jaune rolled on the floor but got up again and ran at the creature. He jumped only to have the Ursa smack him out of the air again. He got up again, panting lightly. He paused for a minute, checking something that Onyx couldn't see, and charged at the Ursa once more.

Time seemed to slow down as the Ursa and Jaune attacked simultaneously. Onyx cursed when he noticed Jaune's shield was too low to protect him from the enemy's attack. He was taken aback when the shield glowed black and was suddenly lifted, blocking the Ursa's attack which gave the blond the advantage, letting him cut off the creature's head.

Onyx gazed around, trying to find some answers when his eyes landed on Pyrrha, Weiss, and Ruby. He caught wind of the end of her sentence, " _…My semblance is polarity._ "

"Ohhh," Onyx breathed while nodding. "That…that makes a lot of sense." He turned his gaze back to Jaune who, still beaten badly, was standing tall with his head held high. He chuckled slightly before speeding back to his teammates.

"What happened?" Lando asked concernedly. "We heard there was an Ursa attack on one of the students. Did you go see who it was?"

He nodded with a grin, "I did, and let's just say Jaune took care of it." He wrapped his arms around his teammates shoulders, "You know what? I'm making you guys pancakes tonight. How's that sound?"

"That sounds awesome!" Callie exclaimed before the rest of them hugged their leader tightly.

…

That night, Onyx ran into Ren who was entering the kitchen as well. He smiled in greeting, "Hey, Ren. What're you doing over here?"

Ren nodded back in response, moving to the stove next to him, "Nora wanted pancakes with the red sap we collected from the forest. I told her I would only make some if she stopped eating all the sap we got. What about you?"

"I told my teammates I'd make them some pancakes too," He chuckled. "I had a good day, I guess."

"Has Jaune started talking to you again?"

Onyx shook his head, flipping the last fluffy pancake onto a plate, "No, but I do hope he comes around eventually." He poured more batter onto the pan, "I can't even stand to being next to Cardin. I applaud the fact that he can stand being near him for more than an hour."

Ren chuckled with a small smile as he made some batter, "That's true. I guess his teammates have the same minds as him or they would've ran off right when they met him."

Onyx laughed as he took the pancake off of the pan. He then stacked 4 of his 16 onto another plate and held them out to the other male, "Here, give this to your teammates."

"What?" Ren asked confusedly as he stared at the plate. "Onyx, you made those. I can't just take them from you."

The Grimm boy smiled, "You're not taking them, I'm giving them to you. Think of it as I want feedback on them." He set the plate down, "Goodnight, Ren. Tell your teammates I say goodnight as well."

He brought the other 12 to his teammates moments later and watched them dig in before eating his own with some red sap. He scratched his head modestly when they praised his cooking skills and asked him to make food for them more. He honestly thought the Beacon cafeteria workers made better.

They stared at him incredulously at that statement. Callie bluntly remarked that they didn't taste anywhere near as fluffy as his. He started to wonder what happened to his taste buds. When he ate there before initiation, they were very fluffy. Maybe it was because it was the first day.

It didn't help that the next day, he was glomped by Nora who demanded that he make her more pancakes because his were the only ones who compared to Ren's and that he was her pancake buddy. He accepted after she threatened to break his legs with _Magnhild_.

Unfortunately, team RWBY heard as well. They asked what else he could cook, and, after being threatened to answer by _Ember Celica_ , admitted all the dishes he could make. All three teams made him their very own chef for the rest of four years at Beacon despite his protests.

That night, he made it to the rooftops after he got a message from Jaune to meet him up there. He was shocked; he didn't think Jaune would ever talk to him after the incident on said rooftop. He brought a syringe of his grandfather's concoction of dust just in case Jaune began to turn. When he was first bitten, it took at least a week to turn. He assumed since Jaune had such a large aura, it was holding the turning at bay.

"Hey," Jaune greeted meekly when they both stood on the rooftop. He scratched his head after a beat of silence passed, "I guess you're wondering why I brought you up here, huh?"

"Can you read minds now?" Onyx questioned sarcastically. He took a seat on the roof and gazed up at the blond, "I thought you didn't want to talk to me since you didn't know me anymore."

Jaune sighed roughly, shaking his head, "I was stupid, okay? I am stupid. I shouldn't have said those things to you after what happened. I know it was Cardin's fault and you were just trying to save me. I shouldn't…I shouldn't have done what I did to you or my team. I'm sorry. I'm really, really sorry."

He sat down next to the other male as he continued, "I apologized to Pyrrha, Ren, and Nora last night. Pyrrha had offered to train me that night everything went to crap, and I told her about my transcripts which was how Cardin found out. I had all this stupid macho stuff going on in my head and I yelled at her, saying that I wanted to be the hero, so I needed to do everything on my own."

He inhaled deeply, "Last night, I asked Pyrrha if the offer still stood." He smiled a bit at the memory, "She pushed me to the ground and told me my stance was all wrong before helping me up. So she's training me now."

"I was just wondering." Jaune moved his gaze up to him, his blue eyes shining with determination and pleading, "Does your offer for training still stand?"

Onyx raised a questioning eyebrow, "You just said Pyrrha's already training you. Why do you need my help?" He knew why, he just wondered if Jaune knew why.

"Pyrrha is helping me with my sword and shield," Jaune clarified. "I've seen you fight and you're amazing. You fight hand-to-hand, and I want to get better at using my hands if I have to. And also…"

He stood up, breathing lightly, "I…I wanna know what the bite did. I…" He laughed slightly with a grin. "Onyx, that bite made me so much better. My reflexes are faster, I didn't pass out after running, I could actually lift my shield without grunting, I can smell things I never usually smell; which didn't really help with the red sap. I can hear things no one can usually hear, I can taste things I never tasted before, I can see better; even at night. I can work out for as long as I want without getting tired. I have abs now, Onyx."

Onyx shook his head quickly at that, "You don't need to show me."

Jaune let go of his blazer before he became somber, "I also noticed that I started paying attention to the moon more. Last night when I trained with Pyrrha, she caught me off guard with her push, but even she told me it was like pushing a brick. And when I was mad at Cardin sometimes, my hands would feel like they were breaking and my teeth got longer."

He swallowed dryly, "What was the bite, Onyx?"

The Grimm boy bit his lip before answering, "My parents died when I was 5 by a pack of Beowolves. One of the Beowolves bit me while the others tore my parents apart. A few weeks later, I turned into a Beowolf. I didn't know about it until I was 8. My grandfather never told me about it and I never asked."

He fingered the syringe in his pocket as he continued, "As I grew older, I learned how to control it. My grandfather and a friend of his helped me with controlling it as well as helping me fight. When I got accepted here, I told Ozpin who told the rest of the professors. They didn't have a problem with it. I told my teammates the day the teams were made, and they accepted me just as I am."

"I'm sorry for the way I acted," Jaune apologized again, realizing that his actions had hurt the other boy deeply.

Onyx waved his hand dismissively, "It…it was understandable. You didn't know why I did it or what it was doing to you." He smiled at the despondent blond, "Besides, we're friends again right?"

He held out his fist expectantly. Jaune grinned happily before bumping fists with him. The dark haired boy chuckled, "We'll start hand-to-hand combat training tomorrow first thing in the morning since there's no classes. As for your Grimm training, we'll start before your training with Pyrrha. That alright with you?"

Jaune nodded, his grin still large, "That's sounds great. Thanks again, Onyx. I couldn't have done this without you or Pyrrha."

Onyx patted his arm before leaving the rooftop, "No problem. And Jaune?" The blond turned to him. "I'm pretty sure Ozpin knows your transcripts are fake. He's not stupid after all. He sees the potential in you, and that's why he made you leader. You're gonna become great, Jaune, and I'm not the only one who believes so."

As he walked away, he could hear Jaune's _'Are you kidding me?!'_ echo through his ears despite his loud laughter.


	4. Time For Training

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaune needed all the help he could get.

Chapter 4

_Yura yura to yuganda sora e  
(Let them fly to you)  
Kimi no moto e tonde yuke  
(Through the waver, distorted sky)  
Konna ni mo chikaku ni kanjiteru  
(These two loves)  
Futatsu no omoi  
(That feel so close together)_

…

Beacon's workout room was very impressive in Onyx's eyes. It had everything most people used to work out, plus a bar to make protein smoothies, and a ring to practice any hand-to-hand combat. He wondered why he didn't think of coming to the workout room earlier. It would've saved him a lot of trouble training since not a lot of people used it.

Onyx had told his team the arrangement he made with Jaune the night before. They chose to go with him to work out as well. He had woken up early to get a small warm up in before Jaune arrived.

He had laid himself on the ground and began doing pushups. He found two hand pushups to be too easy and switched to one hand, but even that wasn't doing much for him. He switched to one finger and found it slightly harder; he stuck to that.

Callie had said 'That's impressive, Captain' before going off to do some sit ups across from him. Lando had give him a thumbs up and walked over to one of the benches to lift weights. He assured his teammates he didn't need anyone to spot him. Rebekah had grinned before starting to do pull ups.

Onyx only focused on his pushups and how many he could do with only one finger. So it did come as a surprise to him when he glanced up at Callie who only pointed above him. He moved his head around and was greeted with Yang's leer as she sat on his back. "H-hey, Yang."

"Hey, Onyx," Yang replied almost sensually, rubbing his back. He tried to suppress his shiver at her warm hands on his bare back. He knew only having workout shorts and no shirt was a bad idea. "You must've been really concentrating to not notice me here. I'm hardly as light as a feather, and you only did it with one finger."

He laughed nervously, "R-right." He lowered himself to the ground once more and felt Yang get off his back. He stood up, swallowing before clearing his throat, "What are you doing here? Are you by yourself?"

Yang shook her head, jabbing her thumb at the entrance where the rest of her team plus team JNPR were coming in, "We heard from Jaune that you were gonna train him. At first we weren't gonna come, but then Pyrrha wanted to go, then Nora who dragged Ren. I thought it would be source of entertainment while Ruby said it would be a nice team bonding exercise."

Onyx nodded slowly, crossing his arms over his chest, "Right. So you guys are gonna watch while I train Jaune?"

"Well, I'm sure Pyrrha is," Yang shrugged, throwing him a wink. "You know; for obvious reasons." She stretched her arms, "I was hoping you and I could get a spar in since we both kinda have the same fighting style. Everyone else is probably just gonna be working out like your team."

He smiled a bit, "I guess I can fit you in. Let's see how Jaune's training goes, and I'll think about it."

"Right on, Onyx," Yang patted his shoulder roughly as Jaune walked up. She punched his arm playfully, noticing his now small flinch, "Wow, Jaune. You been working out?"

Jaune scratched the back of his head as he stood in front of Onyx, Pyrrha only a few feet behind them, "Hey, Onyx. You ready?"

"I should be asking you that," The Grimm boy chuckled, giving Pyrrha a wave. He motioned to the ring with his head. "Let's get started then."

As they got in the ring, everyone went on their own thing. Ren began doing pull ups with Rebekah, Lando was spotting Nora as she began lifting weights, Weiss and Callie were on the treadmills, Ruby was working on lifting small weights while Yang and Pyrrha sat next to the ring, watching the two boys.

Onyx scratched his nose as he began, "Now, there are many types of hand-to-hand combat. It takes years of practice to perfect every single one of those."

"Got that right!" Yang bellowed from her spot.

"So, we will get to that," Onyx stated as he tightened the wrappings on his hands. "First, we'll start with the easiest martial arts; kickboxing. Now…" He brought his hands up, getting into a battle stance. "Let's get started."

Jaune got into a stance as well, waiting a beat before rushing towards the other male. Onyx reacted quickly, sidestepping him. He grabbed Jaune's arm and swept his legs out from under him, sending him to the floor.

The blond groaned before getting back to his feet. With a glance to everyone else, Onyx could see Pyrrha looking a bit angry and worried while Yang was snickering in her hand. Rebekah had stopped her pull ups and was getting some refreshments for her and Ren.

About an hour later, Jaune was becoming great friends with the floor while Onyx still hadn't broken a sweat. Said Grimm boy sighed, helping Jaune off the floor, "Well, it is just the first day. It would be a miracle if you actually got kickboxing down today. Don't worry, Jaune. You'll get it."

Jaune sighed heavily, "Right."

Onyx rolled his eyes before gripping Jaune's arm and activating his semblance. Jaune froze as a flow of images went through his mind. Onyx smiled at the images of a younger Jaune with other blonde girls, "See, Jaune. You have potential to be great. Don't sell yourself short. Just keep training, and you'll make it."

He let go of the blond's arm before getting off the ring. He sat down on one of the benches and adjusted his wrappings. He glanced up when Pyrrha sat next to him. She sighed before turning to him, "Do you think he'll be able to live up to his potential?"

"Of course," Onyx gave her a smile. "Though the both of us are leaders, I believe Jaune's the one who's gonna lead us all to greater days."

Pyrrha nodded before moving her gaze back to Jaune who Yang now had in a headlock, "As do I."

"Ouch!" The four of them turned around to see Ruby hopping on one foot while holding onto her other. "Stupid weights," She grumbled.

Lando ambled over worriedly before wrapping his arms around her. He almost swallowed her since he was so much taller than her. Weiss stormed over and threw the blond Faunus off, "Get off of her, you buffoon! Can't you see she's in pain?"

Lando flinched, "Oh, I'm sorry. My mom always told me hugs heal everything."

Onyx smiled as he went up, patting the taller male's back comfortingly, "It's okay, Lando. Your hugs especially heal everything." He held his hand out to Ruby, "Take my hand and I'll help you."

Ruby hissed a pained breath out as she took his hand. Onyx grunted when the pain from Ruby's foot transferred to his. It only took a second before the sting soothed for both Ruby and Onyx. The black red haired girl sighed in relief, "Thanks, Onyx. The whole pain is gone now."

"What did you…?" Weiss trailed off uncertainly.

Lando stood with his arms open, his wide, innocent eyes melting everyone's hearts. Except maybe Weiss'. Ruby giggled and hugged him back. She blinked in disbelief, "Oh wow, Lando. Your hugs really are awesome."

"Yep, yep," Callie nodded proudly, patting her partner's back.

Nora pouted, "I wanna hug too!"

Lando smiled and gathered the other short girl into a hug as well. He didn't even flinch when Nora stroked his horns. Onyx smiled; he knew first hand that Lando's hugs were the greatest hugs ever.

They had stayed in the workout room for while longer. Jaune was at least able to stop hitting his face on the floor. Onyx helped straighten his stance and taught him how to block certain attacks.

After they were done, they all hit the showers before coming out for lunch. Once dinner was over, Onyx and Jaune made it to the roof. It was time to train the Grimm before Jaune had to train with Pyrrha. Onyx patted the floor for the blond to sit next to him.

He began after the blond sat down, "Now, I'm sure your aura, since it's so big, healed most of the Grimm infection. You can't fully change into a Grimm like me, but you'll be able to have some characteristics and some abilities Grimm have. The only problem is that it's connected to your anger or any other negative emotions you have."

Jaune raised his eyebrows, "Aren't they connected to your negative emotions?"

Onyx shook his head, "After years and years of training, almost dying from said training, I can control it now unless my anger gets too out of hand. That being said, my grandfather made a concoction of dust that I'd have to inject in myself if it does get to that."

"Would I have to inject myself with it?"

"Only if you can't control it," Onyx supplied. "We'll be able to get you to control it, don't worry. Just be lucky that while you're strengthened by the moon, you're not controlled by it. That's a good thing. Right now, we'll hone in your senses."

"Okay," Jaune nodded.

They spent the next hour focusing Jaune's hearing and smell. Onyx realized that Jaune had actually gotten the better end of the deal since he had gotten stronger without really having to do anything, and the Grimm wasn't as prominent as Onyx's was.

"Jaune?" They were knocked out of their practicing when Pyrrha arrived on the rooftop. The red head smiled, "Are you ready for training?"

"You bet," Jaune grinned and stood with Onyx. He bump fists with his male friend, "Thanks again, Onyx. Same time tomorrow?"

Onyx nodded, "You got it." He waved to Pyrrha as he walked out, "Goodnight, guys. See you tomorrow."

He smiled as he walked to his dorm; while Jaune was getting the better end of the deal, he could see that Pyrrha was getting what she had wanted as well. He hoped Jaune would get over his obliviousness soon.


	5. Sleepovers and Video Games

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaune really does get scared easily.

Chapter 5

_It took awhile to get me in_  
_And I'm gonna take my time_  
_Don't fight that good shit in your ear_  
_Now let me blow ya mind_

…

"I still don't get what I'm looking at here," Onyx stated as he stared at team RWBY, team JNPR, and his two female teammates. "Why exactly do Jaune and Ren have to stay here?"

Nora rolled her eyes, as if she had explained the situation a thousand times. She hadn't even explained it once. "We're having a sleepover in our room with Callie, Rebekah, and team RWBY. We need our room, and Jaune and Renny can't stay in there. It's a girl's night."

"Why can't they just stay in team RWBY's room?" He paused before shaking his head. "Wait, never mind. Don't answer that. I already know." He was sure Yang and Ruby would have no problem with letting the boys in there, but he knew the resident ice queen long enough to know her reaction. He was surprised she was even participating in the slumber party.

Lando patted his leader's shoulder before giving the group of girls an angelic smile, "It's okay. Jaune and Ren are welcome here anytime." He gestured for the other males to enter to which he was met with grateful smiles.

Yang breathed, putting a hand to her chest as the rest of the females walked to team JNPR's room. Onyx could hear her clearly even after the door shut. "I don't think my heart can handle those innocent, sweet smiles Lando throws at us."

He snorted amusedly before shutting the door. He turned back to the guys who were all piled on Lando's bed. He assumed it was because Jaune didn't want to get the girls mad by doing something to their beds. Ren just didn't care and followed Lando.

"So…" Jaune trailed off a bit awkwardly. "What do you guys usually do for fun? I mean, I just usually train with Pyrrha or you, Onyx. That's my idea of fun."

"I have Nora," Ren added which really didn't need explaining.

Lando went to the T.V. they had brought and gestured to the game console in front of it, "We can play some games if you like. We all brought our favorites."

Jaune's eyes lit up at that, "Do you have _Call of Battle_? Ooh or _Ring of Light_? Those are my personal favorites."

"I'm more of a _Fatal Kombat_ kind of guy," Ren shrugged as he and his leader got off the bed to sit in front of the T.V.

Onyx distributed the controls as Lando set up the T.V. and system. He grinned, "I play more of _Super Bash Bros._ or _Barrio Kart._ Those are fun when you play with more than two people."

" _Barrio Party_ ruins friendships," Jaune grumbled before grinning when the home of the system appeared. "Okay, what game are we playing first?"

"We could play _Thin Man,_ " Onyx suggested with a wide grin.

Lando seemed a bit frightened at the evil glint in his leader's eyes while Jaune was confused at the title. "What's that?"

Onyx resisted the urge to cackle as he put the game in, "Why don't you find out?" He put Jaune's control on first player. "You start first, Jaune." Ren put a hand over his mouth, hoping to cover his laughter that was threatening to come out.

The blond nodded slowly as the game started up. He shuddered when the creepy music began to play, "S-so, how do I do this?"

"It'll tell you," Onyx replied as he sat back on the floor. "Don't worry."

…

With the girls in the next room, they had all huddled into a circle, eagerly waiting for what was to come. Well, Yang, Ruby, Nora, Callie, and Rebekah were. Pyrrha seemed a bit nervous since she had never been to a sleepover before, Blake was reading one of her books, and Weiss just had an air of disinterest.

"Alright!" Nora exclaimed as she clapped her hands. "What should do now?"

Yang grinned with her, bringing out a bottle she had laying beside her, "How about truth or dare with spin the bottle?"

"Ugh, no," Weiss retorted in protest. "I don't like that game and even if I did, there's no way I would play with someone like you, Yang."

"Come on, Weiss," Ruby pouted, nudging her partner. "It's harmless. Besides, it's a sleepover. We have to have fun somehow."

They all watched in amusement as Weiss cracked under her puppy dog stare. "Fine," The heiress groaned reluctantly. "Who's going first?"

"Me!" Yang's hand shot up faster than Nora's and Callie's. She narrowed her eyes as she gazed at her victims. "Hmmm. Rebekah! Truth or dare?"

Rebekah grinned in anticipation, "Dare. Lay it on me."

"I dare you to eat this chocolate in one go," The blonde said, bringing out a large chocolate bar.

Ruby whined, "Yang, no. That's mine. Don't do this."

Rebekah groaned with Ruby as she was not one to indulge in sweets. She gulped before shoving the whole chocolate bar into her mouth. Callie snickered beside her as her cheeks puffed almost painfully from the whole thing.

They waited for a minutes until she finally finished it. Rebekah gasped for air as she pounded her chest with her fist. She cleared her throat before she began, "Callie, truth or dare?"

"Dare," Callie replied, waving her hands in the air. "I'm not afraid of anything."

Rebekah smirked, "I dare you-"

She was cut off by a girlish scream coming from the next room that consisted of _"WHAT THE HELL!"_ They all jumped, startled when the door slammed open and footsteps were heard running down the hall.

"Jaune!" Pyrrha exclaimed worriedly, recognizing the girly scream and ran to the door first. The others soon followed.

They found Onyx crying from his loud laughter while pounding the floor with his fists. Lando seemed a little more subdued, but his sheepish smile told the girls that he was amused just as his leader was. Ren was leaning on the wall, covering his face with his hand, but they could see his shoulders shaking.

"What happened?" Pyrrha demanded, glaring at the other boys.

Onyx gasped for air as he tried to control his laughter, "J-Jaune _Th-thi-thin M-man._ "

Though they could somehow make out the words, only Callie, Rebekah, Nora, Yang, and Ruby understood what he actually meant. They soon burst out laughing with the boys. Pyrrha gave them the dirtiest look she could muster.

"Did you-did you…" Yang tried to get out through her laughter. "Record it? Did you get it on video?"

Onyx shook his head as he continued laughing, "Oh, I wish." He calmed his breathing, a few chuckles escaping him, "Well, you girls have fun. We're just gonna keep playing our video games."

The boys walked back in team ORCL's dorm. The girls stared at the closed door for a few moments before Nora burst, "I wanna play some games too!"

"Me three!" Callie followed Nora into the room.

Yang soon followed, "If they have _Ring of Light_ , I'm so owning everyone." Rebekah chuckled before going into her dorm room as well.

"I wanna play too!" Ruby soon followed the others.

Blake sighed, shaking her head, "Well, if they have _Fatal Kombat_ , I'll stay."

Pyrrha shook her head as well, "I should go get Jaune." She walked the opposite way as Blake.

Weiss groaned, throwing her arms up in frustration, "I thought this was a sleepover." She then followed the rest of team into the other dorm room.

Pyrrha and Jaune soon joined the group again. Yang owned everyone in _Ring of Light_. Ruby won all of the matches in _Barrio Kart_. Pyrrha destroyed everyone in _Super Bash Bros._ Blake and Ren competed against each other in _Fatal Kombat_. Jaune beat everyone in _Call of Battle_ , much to everyone's surprise.

At the end of the night, the girls went back to JNPR's dorm and slept. Lando and Onyx slept in their respective beds while Jaune and Ren slept at the feet of them. Before he went to sleep, Onyx thanked Monty that he had such great friends around him. He hoped he would be with them to the end of time. He really believed nothing would tear them apart.


	6. All Falls Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It all seemed good before it all came tumbling down.

Chapter 6

_This will be the day we've waited for_  
_This will be the day we open up the door_  
_I don't wanna hear your absolution_  
_Hope you're ready for a revolution_

…

The Vytal Festival. The one thing that Onyx and many other students had been waiting for. There was the tournament at the end of the year, parades, and dances. It also meant there wasn't going to be classes for a few weeks, and that many other students from different kingdoms were coming over. He certainly didn't want to think about that.

Now, he walked with his teammates through Vale as he showed them the way to his grandfather's house/shop. He had called the old man and told him all about his stay at Beacon. Eastmund was happy his grandson had been made leader of his team and told him to bring them down when they didn't have classes.

"So, what's your grandpa like?" Rebekah asked as they walked through the streets of Vale. She grinned amusedly when Callie babbled on about how much fun the festival was going to be to a happy Lando.

Onyx shrugged, bringing his hands behind his head, "He's a great man. I mean, he did take care of me after my parents died. He lost a son, a wife, and a daughter, but he held strong for me." He threw his teammates a grin, "That's why I'm glad to introduce you guys to him. I just want all the greatest people I've met in the same room."

He grunted when Callie jumped on his back, her arms tightening around his neck, "Aw, Captain. You really do love us."

"Alright-alright," He exclaimed when she started ruffling his hair. He really needed a haircut. It was starting to get a bit long and the cold season was already ending. "We're almost there. It's just over the hill there."

Callie nodded and jumped off his back as they made it over the hill. They all gazed at the shop named Another One Bites The Dust in the distance. The brunette grinned, "Is your grandfather as good a cook as you are?"

Onyx rolled his eyes with a snort as they continued walking, "Yeah right. I'm surprised he isn't dead from the way he cooks. Don't worry, I'll be making dinner tonight."

The door opened before they could even knock. Eastmund appeared on the other side, grinning widely at his guests, "Well, it's nice seeing you again, Onyx. You didn't forget about me, did you?"

Onyx grinned, punching the man's shoulder, "Not on your life, old man." He turned to his teammates, "Guys, this is my grandfather; Eastmund Lupin." He turned to his grandfather, "Grandpa, these are my teammates; Rebekah Oswald, Callie Kepner, and Lando Wagner. We form team ORCL."

Eastmund chuckled, ruffling Onyx's hair while ignoring his indignant squawk, "I see. And you're the leader of them?" At his grandson's nod, he bellowed a laugh, "Well, that's great. Get in here, kids. It's nice to meet you."

Onyx watched as Callie amicably strode into the house with a slightly hesitant Lando at her heels. Rebekah gave him a smile as she walked past. He shook his head with a smile before calling to his team and grandfather, "You guys get to know each other. I'm gonna go get a cook book for tonight. See if I can whip something new up."

"Alright, Onyx," Eastmund said over Callie's boisterous cheer.

The raven haired young man nodded before walking back up the hill to get back into town. He easily maneuvered his way through the throngs of people and found Tukson's Book Trade. He opened the door and was met with a tall, dark haired man who smelled like some kind of a cat. Maybe a puma? He couldn't see anything on him that showed his Faunus nature though.

"Welcome," The man greeted warmly with a smile. "I'm Tukson. Need help searching for anything?"

Onyx smiled back before giving a small shake of his head, "Nah, I think I'll just find it on my own."

Tukson nodded understandingly, "Alright. I'll be right here if you need me."

The young male continued scanning through the books on the shelves and tables until he found a small book with pots and pans on it. He grabbed it and flipped through the pages, seeing a few recipes he had never tried before. He grinned, closing the book and walking up to the cash register.

The owner smiled as he scanned the book, "A cookbook, eh? Having a party?"

"A little," Onyx shrugged as he took out his wallet. "I go to Beacon, and I finally got to visit my grandfather with my team so I thought it best to do something good for them. Monty knows my grandpa can't cook."

Tukson laughed as he bagged the book, "That'll be 9 Lien."

Onyx nodded and took out the amount to pay. He took the bag from the man with a smile, "Thanks, Mr. Tukson. I hope I see you again. You have some really great books here."

"You're welcome," Tukson replied kindly with a wave. "Come back anytime. It'll be nice to see some more Beacon students in here."

Onyx nodded, leaving the store. As he walked, he took the book from the bag and began reading through a certain recipe. He was glad it was a doable one; his grandfather had most of the ingredients at his house to make it.

With his mind so wrapped up in the book, he didn't have time to block the body that had jumped off a building only to land right on top of him. He groaned as his body hit the floor first. He heard a laugh above him, "Sorry about that. I wasn't watching where I was going."

Onyx sat up, rubbing his throbbing head to still the incoming headache. He blinked at the hand that appeared before him. He brought his gaze up, staring into bright blond hair, grey eyes, and abs.

With a shake of his head, he grabbed the hand and let the other male help him up. The blond grinned apologetically, "Again, sorry. I was running away from some cops, and I had turned around to check if they were behind me when I landed on you." He glanced around before nodding, "I lost them."

The dark haired of the two nodded dubiously, "Right." He turned around and began walking, stuffing the book back in the bag.

"So." He repressed a groan when the blond sidled up to him, pulling a banana out of nowhere. He peeled it and took a bite, "What's your name?"

Onyx frowned as he watched him speak through the chunk of the fruit he had bitten, "Onyx."

"Onyx. Cool, cool," The blond nodded, taking another bite of the banana. "So, where are you going?"

"My grandfather's," Onyx replied flatly. "Now if you don't mind, I'm going to go there…without you."

The other male grinned and suddenly patted Onyx's chest, "Alright, I can take a hint. I'll just be on my way." He turned around and began walking, throwing his banana peel over his shoulder and whistling pleasantly. Onyx could see his golden tail swaying behind him.

The blond choked when Onyx suddenly appeared in front of him, glaring hardly, "If you want to eat, just say so."

The blond put his hands up innocently, "I have no idea-AH!"

He yelped when Onyx took his wrist and flipped him over his shoulder. He whined as Onyx took his wallet back. "Aw, come on. I just wanted to see if you had any recommendations for some restaurants. It's my first time here in Vale."

The Grimm boy sighed, pulling the other to his feet. He put his wallet back in his jacket pocket while he spoke, "So you're one of the many transfer students. Let me guess; you ran from the cops because you snuck on board."

The blond monkey Faunus whistled, impressed, "You're good." He shrugged, putting his hands behind his head, "It doesn't matter; I lost them anyways. I was just looking for some place to eat since that was my last banana."

Onyx sighed exasperatedly, "You can come with me to my grandfather's if you're so hungry. I'm making some food, so let's get a move on so I can get started on it." He didn't know why, but he felt a strong connection with the blond in front of him.

"Sweet," The monkey Faunus fist pumped happily before following the darker haired male. "I forgot to introduce myself; I'm Sun, but you can call me Handsome, or Bro." He winked.

"Okay," Onyx mumbled as he continued walking. "I'll take a long while before I call you any of those names."

Sun pouted, crossing his arms, "Well that's just rude."

"Says the guy who fell on me. From a building."

"Hey, come on. Don't take that to heart."

They were at Eastmund's place once more after a few minutes of back and forth bantering. Onyx actually found it nice speaking Sun; he'd never tell the Faunus that though. He would let Lando calm the other Faunus down first before he ever admitted that.

Eastmund greeted them at the door. He furrowed his brow, pointing at Sun, "Who's this? A classmate?"

Onyx shook his head with a roll of his eyes, "Hardly. He's here for the festival. I met him on the street and he was looking for a place to eat. I told him he could come dine with us for a free meal."

"I'm Sun," Sun smiled politely, holding out his hand.

Eastmund slowly shook his hand, "Right. Well, I'm Eastmund; Onyx's grandfather. If he says you're alright, then it's okay for you to stay here. He's the one cooking anyways."

Sun chuckled with the older man as they walked into the house. Once in the living room, Sun was greeted with the others. He grinned, "Hello, ladies and gent. I'm Sun; a friend of Onyx's."

"Don't go throwing that around so easily," Onyx grumbled as he walked past the monkey Faunus. "I met him on the streets and said he could come." He turned to Sun, "These are my teammates; Rebekah, Callie, and Lando."

Lando smiled brightly, shaking Sun's hand, "It's very nice to meet you. I don't get to see many Faunus every day so this is very refreshing."

Onyx watched amusedly as Sun fumbled for words; he knew firsthand how bright and angelic Lando's smile was. He patted Sun on the back and gave his teammates a smile, "I'm gonna get started on dinner."

He walked into the kitchen, taking the cookbook out once more to get the list of ingredients. Moments later, he had everything ready and was already cooking up a storm. He waved away Lando who had wanted to help; he could take care of this meal and he wanted the blond to relax.

Once the meal was done, he brought out the dishes to the table that had been set by his team to at least help out somewhat. Sun was already drooling over the plates as he gazed hungrily at the meals.

They all passed each other dishes, filling their plates with the food Onyx had prepared. They thanked the young man before digging in. It wasn't long before everyone was talking animatedly, even the usually shy Lando. The team talked about their adventures at school while Sun talked about his school and his own team.

What Onyx learned from Sun was; he was in team SSSN (Sun) with a 3 other guys named Sage, Scarlet, and Neptune Vasilias. He goes to Haven Academy and came to Vale to compete in the tournament. He was born in Vacuo but moved to Mistral. He was very fond of his weapons which were gun-chucks named _Ruyi Bang_ and _Jingu Bang_.

When talk about weapons came up, Callie was happy to bring out _Lancer_ to which everyone panicked except for Eastmund who almost cooed over it like Ruby would have. Sun found _Stark_ a bit fascinating and said he couldn't wait to see it in action.

Once dinner was over, the two Lupin males shooed everyone else and told them they'd take care of the mess despite their protests. "I'll meet you guys back at the dorms," Onyx said to his teammates.

They nodded and began to walk back over the hill. Sun lingered next to him before grinning, "Thanks for dinner, man. You didn't have to."

Onyx shrugged before grinning as well, "I kinda did…Bro." He inwardly chuckled at Sun's beaming face. "You looked kinda pathetic."

Sun growled comically, getting the other male in a headlock and giving him a noogie, "Take that back."

"Never," Onyx grunted with a laugh before getting out of the headlock. He held out his fist, "I'll be seeing you."

"You betcha, Bro," The blond bumped his fists before running over the hill, waving over his shoulder.

The Grimm boy sighed lightly as he stared at the blond's retreating form before going back into the house. He spied his grandfather washing the dishes once he walked into the dining room. He continued to walk through the house, making it to the living room before he stopped when something caught his eye.

He approached the tablet his grandfather had and stared wide eyed at the surveillance footage of what appeared to be the White Fang. How had he gotten these without anyone noticing?

He stiffened when he heard his grandfather sigh roughly, "I didn't want you to see that, kid." Eastmund approached and turned the tablet off.

Onyx frowned, "Why are you doing this? If they find out you planted those, they could kill you, Grandpa."

Eastmund waved his hand dismissively as he sat down in his recliner, "They won't find out. They don't even know they're there. I'm fine, Onyx."

"But-"

"I'm fine," Eastmund stressed. "You don't have to worry about me. I know what I'm doing. Besides, even if I were to die, I think I've lived a great life."

Onyx clenched his fists, feeling his eyes sting despite his best efforts to hold his tears back. He sighed shakily, standing up, "If you're sure. I'll come back tomorrow, alright?"

Eastmund nodded, patting his grandson's back as he passed. Onyx shook his head as he walked out of the house. It took him only about 10 minutes to get back to Beacon. He took the elevator up to his floor and was met with the angry shouts of Weiss and Blake.

He grunted, covering his ears as they started ringing in pain. He quickly walked to his room and opened the door, meeting his teammates who looked solemn. He frowned, "How long have they been at it?"

"Nora said they've been going at it since before they even got back," Rebekah replied, sitting on her bed. "I wonder what they're arguing about."

"Let me see," Onyx said as he focused his hearing.

Weiss' voice came in first, _"I don't understand why this is causing such a problem!"_

 _"That is the problem,"_ Blake's angry reply came.

Feet hit the floor, barely muffling Weiss' voice, _"You realize you are defending an organization that hates humanity, don't you? The Faunus of the White Fang are pure evil."_

Onyx clenched his jaw while Blake replied, _"There's no such thing as pure evil! Why do you think they hate humanity so much? It's because people like Cardin, people like you, that force the White Fang to take such drastic measures!"_

_"People like me?"_

_"You're discriminatory!"_

_"I'm a victim!"_ The room fell in silence at Weiss' exclamation. She began again, though her voice was softer than before, but the edge was still there, _"You want to know why I despise the White Fang? Why I don't particularly trust the Faunus? It's because they've been in war with my family for years. War, as in actual bloodshed. My grandfather's company has had a target painted across its back for as long as I can remember. And every since I was a child, I've watched family, friends disappear; board members executed. An entire train car full of Dust stolen. And every day, my father would come home furious. And that made for a very difficult childhood."_

 _"Weiss, I-"_ He heard Ruby try and comfort her before Weiss cut her off.

 _"No!"_ The heiress shouted angrily. _"You want to know why I despise the White Fang? It's because they're a bunch of liars, thieves, and murderers."_

 _"Well maybe we were just tired of being pushed around!"_ Blake shouted back only to have the room fall in shocked silence once more. _"I…I…"_

Onyx's eyes widened; it all made sense now. She really was a Faunus. His nose wasn't failing him after all. And she was part of the White Fang which was why she was so angry when Velvet and Lando were bullied.

He heard team RWBY's door burst open and Blake's disappearing footsteps with Ruby shouting, _"Blake, wait! Come back!"_ He burst out of his dorm room as well, ignoring his teammates' questions and protests. He followed her as she ran outside of Beacon.

He stopped a few ways away from her as she stared at the statue of the hunter and huntress on top of the Grimm. He could hear her sniffles before she brought a hand up and untied her ribbon, revealing her cat ears. He cursed himself for not noticing.

 _"I knew you would look better without the bow,"_ Sun's voice suddenly sounded through his ears.

Both Onyx and Blake glanced up to find said Faunus on a small statue, grinning at the saddened girl. Sun gave Onyx a discreet wink before talking to Blake. He nodded slightly before going back to his dorm.

After explaining the situation, leaving out Blake's former life and what she really was, though he assumed Lando knew, Onyx got to finally sleep. Once the weekend ended, he noticed Blake had not come back, and Weiss' mood had not gotten any better.

He sighed as he walked through the streets of Vale. He had told his teammates that he was going to visit his grandfather again, and while they wanted to come, he had told them he had to talk to the man privately.

A part of him was cursing his suddenly horrible senses as he bumped into a hard person and fell to the floor with them. He groaned, standing up before glancing down at the victim. He gazed incredulously at the girl before; how the hell did she feel like falling into a solid wall of steel?

"Salutations," The girl chirped with a wide smile.

He blinked, "Uh…hi." He held out his hand and helped the girl up. "You're not hurt are you?" Funny, he could feel she had an aura, but he couldn't catch a hint of a scent on her.

"I'm fantastic," The girl replied enthusiastically. "Thank you for asking. I'm Penny. It's a pleasure to meet you."

He smiled a bit uneasily, "Nice to meet you too, Penny. I'm Onyx."

Penny nodded with a wide smile, "It's nice to meet you." Before Onyx could say she had already said that, her smile faded as she frowned, "You…you're not fully human, are you?"

Onyx glared at her as he felt his chest burn in anger, "Are you?" When she stiffened, he knew he struck a nerve, "I don't know how you found out about me, but you don't have a scent on you. You may have an aura, but you don't smell like anything which is impossible for hu-"

He was cut off when she grabbed his sleeve and brought him to an isolated alley. He felt a guilty when he saw her green eyes filled with sorrow. "You're right," She began softly. "I'm not a real girl. I was made instead of born. I'm the world's first synthetic person capable of generating an aura."

He softened, putting his hand on her shoulder comfortingly, "Penny, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. And besides, you don't need to be born to be a real girl. Trust me, you're more human than any human being on this earth."

Penny beamed brightly, "Really? You think so?"

Onyx nodded with a small smile, "Yep. Trust me; I can turn into a Grimm. I know what it's like thinking no one will like the real you."

"Wow," Penny let out a low breath. "That's incredible. I-" Her attention was diverted by something at the end of the alleyway. "Onyx, I will see you again soon. Goodbye."

"See ya, pal," He replied, giving her a wave. He was taken aback when she rushed back towards him, getting in his face intensely.

"You mean it?" She asked, staring straight into his eyes.

He nodded slowly, "Yeah. We're friends, okay?"

She laughed happily, crushing him in a quick hug before rushing off again. He exhaled deeply, rubbing his suddenly sore arms before making his way out of the alleyway. He only walked a bit before he heard a familiar voice call, "Bro! Over here!"

He moved his gaze up and found Sun waving to him as his tail held a teacup. Blake sat across from him, sipping her tea and staring at him. He shook his head, a smile stretching across his lips as he walked into the café and went up to where they were sitting.

"Hey, Bro," Onyx greeted, giving the blond Faunus a fist bump. He brought a chair over and sat next to him as he greeted his classmate, "Hey, Blake."

"Onyx," Blake gave him a nod in greeting. He could see a storm of emotions going through her amber eyes before she put her teacup down, "I guess I should explain."

Sun threw his hands up, "Finally she speaks." He turned to Onyx, saying, "Nearly two days and she's given me nothing but small talk and weird looks." Onyx covered his mouth to muffle the snicker threatening to break loose as Blake threw Sun a pointed look to which the blond said, "Yeah, like that."

Blake rolled her eyes, "Sun, Onyx, are you familiar with the White Fang?"

Onyx knew where this was going whereas Sun scoffed, "Of course. I don't think there's a Faunus on the planet who hasn't heard of them." Please stop right there, Onyx thought, but unfortunately, his prayers weren't answered as Sun continued, "Stupid, holier-than-thou creeps that use force to get whatever they want. Bunch of freaks, if you ask me."

The Grimm boy face palmed as Blake gave him a flat stare, "I was once a member of the White Fang."

Sun choked on the tea he had been drinking and pounded his chest while Onyx wasn't surprised which gained the girl's attention. He shrugged, "You and Weiss were yelling really loudly. The walls are thin and I have really good hearing."

"Right," Blake mumbled.

Sun coughed, "Wait a minute, you were a member of the White Fang?"

"That's right," Blake nodded. "I was a member for most of my life actually. You could say I was born into it.

"Back then, things were different. In the ashes of war, the White Fang was meant to be a symbol of peace and unity between humans and the Faunus. Of course, despite being promised equality, the Faunus were subjected to discrimination and hate. Humanity still thought of us as lesser beings. And so, the White Fang rose up as a voice for our people. And I was there. I was at the front of every rally. I took part in every boycott. I actually thought we were making a difference, but I was just a youthful optimist."

Onyx could just imagine a young Blake holding up signs that showed her anger towards the humans who couldn't accept her or her people. He thought back to the first night, the night he first saw her, and remembered how she told Ruby that he dreams were a bit childish. He now knew why she thought that way.

Blake continued, "Then, five years ago, our leader stepped down and a new one took his place. A new leader with a new way of thinking. Suddenly, our peaceful protests were being replaced with organized attacks. We were setting fires to shops that refused to serve us, hijacking cargo that used Faunus labor. And the worst part was; it was working. We were being treated as equals, but not out of respect; out of fear."

Onyx glanced at Sun who was gaping at the girl. She set her cup down with a sigh. "So, I left. I decided I no longer wanted to use my skills to aid in their violence, and instead, I would dedicate my life into becoming a huntress. So here I am; a criminal hiding in plain view, all with the little help of a black bow." Said bow wiggled as her cat ears moved beneath it.

Sun shut his mouth which had been open for a while and regarded the female Faunus somberly, "So…have you told your friends any of this?"

Onyx shook his head while Blake bowed hers, "Not exactly." Sun glanced at him questioningly. He shrugged, "Why do you think she ran out? Weiss, the girl she was arguing with, is a Schnee."

"Ooh," Sun hissed sympathetically. "That explains it. There is a lot of bad blood between those two."

Onyx began to nod before he felt his scroll vibrate. He got up with Sun and Blake, but gestured for them to go on ahead of them. He answered the call, "Hello?"

"Onyx?" Eastmund questioned from the other side of the call. "Where are you? I thought you said you were coming today. Are you canceling?"

"No, no, Grandpa," Onyx replied as he watched Sun and Blake walk ahead. He gestured to Sun where he was going and the blond Faunus nodded understandingly. "I just met up with Sun real quick. I promise, I'm on my way right now."

Eastmund hummed, "Alright. Don't hurt yourself, kid." He hung up shortly after that. Onyx sighed and pocketed his scroll as he walked in the direction to his grandfather's shop.

Once he was there, he quickly made them something to eat as they began talking which lasted well through the afternoon and into the night. Onyx took a chance and decided to bring up the robberies that had been happening in Vale. Eastmund sighed, "Well, from what I gathered with the surveillance cameras, it's definitely Torchwick and the White Fang."

Onyx frowned, "You're sure?"

The older male nodded with a sigh, "Yeah. They're up to something, but I think they're working together because of something big. No Faunus works with a human, especially scum like Torchwick."

"You're right," Onyx murmured, nodding his head in thought. He sighed lightly, getting up from his seat and patting his grandfather's shoulder as he walked towards the door, "Get some rest, Grandpa. I'll be back in the morning."

Eastmund smiled, "Take care, kid."

Onyx walked out of the house and over the hill when he heard an explosion from far away. He narrowed his eyes as smoke began billowing in the air. He knew that had something to do with Torchwick and the White Fang.

He ran over there, climbing onto the fire escape of one of the apartment buildings to get on higher ground. He jumped from building to building until he could see the docks where he saw Torchwick on the ground, away from Sun and Blake who had their weapons drawn.

He swallowed when he noticed Torchwick's gaze on the suspended crate above the two teens. He reacted quickly as Torchwick shot at the crate. His leather jacket flew off and hit the ground before he changed into his Beowolf form, tearing his shoes, socks, and shirt off.

He somersaulted before appearing under the crate. He caught the heavy load, saving both Sun and Blake who could only stare at him in shock and fear. He panted through his growls, throwing the crate off of himself.

"A Beowolf?" Sun breathed.

"In Vale?" Blake murmured in fright.

"What the fu-" Torchwick was cut off by a high pitched, "Hey!" in the distance. He smirked when he turned around, seeing Ruby on the rooftops with Crescent Rose deployed, "Well hello, Red. Isn't it past your bedtime?"

Ruby glared at him before staring at the Beowolf in shock, "What's a Beowolf doing here?"

Torchwick used her shocked distraction to shoot at her. Ruby shouted as the shot threw her back onto the roof. Onyx roared, trying to tackle the orange haired man, but he was surprisingly able to dodge him.

Penny suddenly jumped off the rooftop, towards the battle. Her weapons floated behind her as they took out members of the White Fang that tried to attack her. She stood next to Onyx, "Are you ready, friend?"

Onyx nodded as best as he could in his Grimm form before getting on all fours. Penny jumped onto his back, holding onto his dark fur tightly as he charged through the horde of White Fang members. Penny used her weapon to expertly take out the members as Onyx plowed through them.

Bullheads appeared above them. Onyx felt himself being pulled back with Penny as her weapons tugged her back to the warehouse. The weapons spun, showing a bright glowing light before it shot off and tore through the flying vehicles.

She latched her weapons onto another bullhead, using the strings to pull them back as the two of them walked backwards. She tugged on the strings forcefully, crashing the bullhead into the ground.

They ran towards the bullhead, watching as Torchwick got away as it flew off into the sky. Onyx let Penny slip off his back before he roared into the night sky, feeling himself shift back into his human self.

"Bro?" He stiffened, remembering that Sun, Blake, and Ruby were there and did not know of his Grimm form.

He slowly turned around, meeting their eyes as they stared at him in what he could only assume was fear and shock. He shook his head, feeling his eyes overflow with tears and sped off, grabbing his jacket along the way.

He knew it wasn't something he usually did, but he couldn't take their stares. While Blake did the same thing in revealing her Faunus nature, it didn't compare to his grotesque Grimm one.

Luckily with his regeneration, he could run with bare feet. He made it back to his grandfather's place, zipping up his jacket before walking over the hill. He froze when he noticed police cars around the shop. What had happened?

He walked closer, noticing the police tape around the shop's entrance. As he made his way towards it, he felt someone grab him around his waist, "Hey, kid. What're you doin'? This is police business."

"This is my grandfather's shop," Onyx replied through gritted teeth. "I wanna see him. Eastmund Lupin, where is he?"

The cops sighed heavily, and Onyx felt his tears escape him as his heart stilled in his chest. He shook his head in denial, "No, not my grandfather. Not him." He tore himself from the cop's grasp and made it into the house.

He stopped just before his grandfather's lifeless body which the paramedics were in the middle of covering up. His lips quivered as his tears fell faster, "No, not him."

He fell to his knees next to the man, sobbing into the floor. He reached for his hand, sobbing even more harshly when all he felt was a cold, numb limb. He gasped for breath, feeling his chest cave in.

"Grandpa," He cried, tightening his grip on the other man's hand. He furrowed his brow when he felt something in the man's palm. He took it slowly, revealing a small disk. He closed his hand around it, hiding it in case there was something on it his grandfather only wanted him to hear.

"Onyx." The Grimm boy swallowed the lump in his throat as he turned his tearful gaze to his headmaster. Ozpin stared back at him with saddened eyes before lifting the younger male up, "Come. Let's get you back to Beacon."

The younger showed no protest and followed the headmaster to his car. They rode in silence before they made it to the school. Onyx numbly followed Ozpin into his office where he was sat down in front of the man's desk. Glynda entered, her gaze somber as she stared at the young boy in the office.

Ozpin set his coffee mug down, "Onyx, I am so sorry for your loss. I can only imagine what you're going through right now. I am also sorry to tell you that we do not know who killed your grandfather, but Eastmund did send this for you."

The door opened as many staff members brought in crates of dust that were in his grandfather's shop. "Why?" Onyx rasped through his raw throat. "Why did he do this?"

"It seems he knew what was going to happen to him," Glynda replied sadly before wrapping her arms gently around the boy. "I'm so sorry, Onyx."

Onyx gritted his teeth as tears streamed down his cheeks. He sobbed harshly into Glynda's shoulder, clutching onto her tightly. Glynda even shed a few tears for the boy. Ozpin shook his head, wondering why he had ever let the man spy for him. If Qrow was right, that meant the Queen really was tying up every loose end.


	7. Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Onyx never thought he would lose his grandfather after he lost everything else.

Chapter 7

_Don't be disappointed,_  
_Don't let your heart break._  
_Don't spend another minute,_  
_In this way._  
_It's okay._

…

It had been two weeks since the fight at the docks and the death of Eastmund Lupin. Onyx had distanced himself from his friends. His team was concerned at how much he had changed. He didn't sleep, he didn't eat, his grades were slipping, and he barely spoke unless necessary.

Rebekah, Callie, and Lando tried to comfort him when they learned of his grandfather's death, but he shrugged them off and told them he was fine. Jaune tried to help him as well, but the blond just didn't know what to say. Yang had tried to talk to him, but he didn't want to hear anything from anyone.

He also hadn't heard from Sun, Blake, or Ruby. They were the ones who had seen him in his Grimm form but they hadn't said a word to him in the last two weeks. He didn't know if he was grateful or anxious about that. He wondered if they had told their team since he knew Jaune didn't tell his.

Onyx gazed around with his dead eyes, trying to keep them open as he watched the normal jovial teams of RWBY and JNPR play around in the cafeteria. He hated the fact he didn't have a hood; he didn't want people to ask about the harsh bags under his eyes.

With a tired grunt, he got up from the table and was going to walk away when he felt someone grab his arm. He dragged his dark eyes to Rebekah who had her hand on his blazer. The red head bit her lip, her whole aura just radiating sorrow, "Onyx, you should eat. At least take a bite out of your meal."

He snatched his arm out of her grip, clenching his jaw tightly, "I said I'm fine. I don't need to eat."

He would apologize to them when he got better. Right now, he just really wanted to be alone. He needed to be alone. If he was around his teammates any longer, he would snap at them and say something he would regret.

He made it to the rooftop and sat down on the edge. He gazed out at the campus, seeing the carefree students. They didn't even know what was really going on in the world; who was after them.

Onyx pulled out his scroll and reached into his blazer, bringing out the small disk his grandfather had given him after his death. He placed it into the tablet and opened it. He pressed play and watched the video.

The video showed his grandfather enter his shop where some White Fang members, a young man with silver-grey hair and a girl with mint green hair. The male seemed to be telling his grandfather something as his grandfather was stone faced and seemed to be discreetly grabbing something.

He had grabbed a weapon and took out at least two White Fang members before the silver haired male kicked him in his back, sending his grandfather across the room. Onyx had assumed that his boots were weapons and he had shot and killed him with no hesitation.

Once the video ended, he took the tiny disk out and crushed it in his hand. He didn't want anyone to see it, not even Ozpin or his friends. He was the only one who was allowed to see this since he was the only one who was going to kill those two people.

…

The next day, he found himself in the library, listening to music so he could drown out team RWBY's excited shouts as they played World of Remnant. He honestly didn't understand why they had to play in the library when there were other people studying. And plotting.

He was surprised to hear "Bro?" when the song was changing. He tensed, pausing his music and taking his headphones off. He moved his tired eyes up and found Sun staring at him, his eyes full of regret and sorrow.

"Hey," Onyx responded quietly, his voice breaking from its disuse. "What are you doing here?"

Sun scratched the back of his with a deep exhale, "Hey, Bro, I'm sorry. I should've followed you. You shouldn't have gone a day thinking that there's something wrong with you. I'm sorry."

Onyx's lips twitched, feeling his heart lighten at the other male's words, "You're forgiven." His eyes moved to the blue haired teen behind Sun, "Who's this?"

Sun smiled slightly, gesturing to the boy next to him, "Bro, this is Neptune. Neptune, this is Onyx; my bro."

Onyx remembered when he first heard about Neptune; he was in Sun's team and he was his partner. A part of him briefly wondered where their other two teammates were at and why they didn't think to bring them. What made Neptune so special?

Neptune frowned, crossing his arms, "How come you don't call me bro? I'm your teammate."

Sun waved his hand dismissively, "He fed me when he first met me; that's how he became my bro. And he saved me and Blake when we fought that Torchwick guy. Don't pout, nerd."

Neptune scoffed indignantly while Sun dragged him to where team RWBY was at, "See ya, Bro."

Onyx simply lifted his hand to him in response before leaving the library. He got back to the rooftop once more and sat down on the edge. He brought his knees to his chest and hugged them tightly.

His eyes stung harshly, and he couldn't stop the tears from pouring down his cheeks. Though he didn't like to think about it much, he knew Eastmund was the last thing he had, and he couldn't handle knowing that he had no more family. He had no more connections to his parents.

He sobbed harshly into his arms, his throat constricting painfully. He gritted his teeth, holding onto another sob but it ripped through his soul painfully.

As he was busy crying, he didn't hear the rooftop door open. He didn't sense anyone on it with him until he felt arms wrapping around his should. He halted his crying, and sniffed. He would know that sweet syrup scent anywhere.

"What are you doing here, Nora?"

Nora tightened her arms around him, "I know you're sad about your grandfather, and I know it hurts so much, but it'll get better. I know it will."

He clenched his jaw tightly, "I don't want to hear-"

"I lost my mom when I was 6." He paused when he heard what she revealed. "She was a huntress and she was injured by some Beowolves. They brought her home, but she didn't make it through the night. My dad, Ren, and Ren's parents took care of me after that. I didn't really understand what had happened until I was older."

Onyx's tears fell faster now as he spoke through quivering lips, "I still don't know what you're getting at."

Nora ran her hands through his hair gently, "I'm saying that it's alright to be sad, but your grandfather wouldn't have wanted you to stop following your dreams because he died. I'm sure he lived a good life which is why he wasn't afraid to go. He cared about you, Onyx, so just let it out and continue on."

He turned his head onto her shoulder and began sobbing harshly. He cried for his parents who he deemed were too young to die, he cried for his grandfather; the man who took care of him despite him being different than the average kid. He cried for himself; the boy who had lost his family. He cried for Nora too for he didn't want anything to take away her innocence.

…

After crying his eyes and most of what was left of his energy, he had thanked Nora and went to the library once more to see if he could find anyone or anything really. He furrowed his brow confusedly when he saw Ruby's board game on the table.

He picked up the game and began walking back to the dorms. Once he was only several ways away from his dorm room and team RWBY's, he felt a sharp pain go through his ears.

He stared ahead and saw a familiar head of silver-grey hair and mint green hair as well. His Grimm rumbled inside of his chest, just begging to get out and rip those two to pieces. He breathed deeply; since he had destroyed the video, there was no evidence that they had done anything wrong and they were wearing school uniforms from what looked to be like Haven Academy.

Onyx watched as Ruby talked to them as they walked away. He walked up to Ruby once they were out of earshot. The red hooded girl stiffened at the sight of him. He frowned and held out her board game, "Here. You forgot this in the library."

Ruby took it from his hands hesitantly, "Thanks."

He nodded curtly after a moment of silence and began to walk back to his dorm. "Onyx, wait!" He stopped and turned his head to her.

She shook her head sadly, "I'm sorry for treating you the way I've been these past couple of weeks. What's even worse is that I've been doing it and you just lost your grandfather." She sighed shakily, "I'm sorry. There's nothing wrong with you just because you can turn into a Grimm. Actually, I think it's pretty cool."

He felt a smile form on his lips; something that had become foreign. "Thanks, Ruby. It means a lot. Sun apologized too, actually and Penny already knew before that."

Ruby smiled as well, "I'm sure Blake will talk to you when she can. She's just been going through some things too."

He nodded, "Right. I'll see you tomorrow." Ruby nodded back and entered her dorm room.

Before he entered his room, he heard Ruby say, _"So, what's our plan for tomorrow? How are we going to find Torchwick and the White Fang to begin with?"_

Onyx dragged his eyes over the closed door and smirked. They really were one step ahead of everyone. He'd have to follow them if he was going to start his act of revenge.

He took out his scroll not long after and entered his room. He saw Rebekah, Lando, and Callie staring back at him before they averted their gaze quickly. He sighed heavily; he really had some apologizing to do.

"Guys, I'm sorry." His teammates slowly turned to him. He shook his head, "I've been a jerk these past couple of weeks and you guys were just trying to help. You didn't deserve to be treated the way I've been treating you. How can I be a good leader if I treat you guys like you're nothing?"

Rebekah gave a small smile as she got off her bed. She put her hands on her partner's shoulders, "Onyx, you weren't being a jerk. You lost the last of your family; it's understandable why you acted the way you did. We just wanted to help."

"You're not a horrible leader, Captain," Callie reassured as she got off her bed and stood next to him with Rebekah. "You just had a rough time. We understand."

Lando stood with them with a bright smile, "You're our family, Captain. We just didn't want anything to hurt you anymore. That's why we wanted to help you."

Onyx's lips quivered as he tried to stifle as sob. He gathered them in his arms, "I'm sorry. You guys are my family now, and I promise to make it up to you guys."


	8. The Vow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He would take down the White Fang and anyone who was working with them no matter what.

Chapter 8

_Not every wound is simply healed by time  
But revenge is always sweet  
And chaos is the prize_

…

Onyx tuned out Professor Port's boring story as he focused on Weiss who was staring at her digital clock. He knew she, and the rest of team RWBY, were desperately waiting for class to end. He rolled his eyes when Jaune sidled up to her and tried to ask her to that new Spruce Willis movie.

He sighed mentally; why was he still trying so hard when she clearly wasn't interested. There was no way he was that clueless when it came to women. Didn't he say he had a few sisters?

He was brought out of his thoughts when the bell rang, signaling the end of class. "And then I-oh, uh," Port paused when he heard the bell. "I time that one wrong, I guess. The stunning conclusion of this story will have to wait until next time."

Onyx hurried out of the class, intent on getting to town quickly. He needed to get out of his uniform before his teammates got there and wanted to go with him. He loved his team to death, but this was just something he had to do on his own.

Once he got to his dorm room, there was no sign of his teammates to which he was glad for. He quickly changed into his regular clothes, deciding to wear a red button up and black coat instead of his usual upper attire.

After writing a quick note, telling Rebekah, Callie, and Lando that he was going to the city alone to visit his grandfather's grave, he pocketed his scroll, made sure he had enough dust for Stark, and sped out of the dormitory.

He slowed down once he was at the school's exit and made his way out of Beacon. Almost half an hour later, he made it to his grandfather's shop. Everything in the shop had been brought to him while Eastmund's personal belongings were put in a bank for safekeeping.

A few ways away from the shop was where his parents, and now both of his grandparents, were buried. He fixed his coat as he sat in front of the graves. With a deep exhale that shook the tight feeling in his chest, he began speaking, "Hey, Mom, Dad, Grandma. How's Grandpa up there? He probably doesn't know his way around like you guys do."

He paused, sniffling as he wiped the forming tears from his eyes. He cleared his throat that suddenly seemed too tight before speaking, "I know I shouldn't be sad that you're all gone, but it's hard. I-"

He swallowed thickly, "I'm all alone now. I have no home to go to." He shifted on the patch of grass and leaned against his father's small tombstone, "I have a lot of friends at Beacon. Grandpa only met my teammates and Bro. I'm the leader of team ORCL. Rebekah Oswald is my partner; Callie Kepner is the energetic one; and Lando Wagner is really just an angel."

He let out a small smile, "My Bro, Sun Wukong, is pretty cool. He wanted me to call him Bro or Handsome. I chose the lesser of two evils. Maybe one day I'll call him handsome. It doesn't seem that far though." He chuckled amusedly, "They're great people. They accepted what I was right off the bat. I thank Monty everyday for them."

He lifted a hand to scratch his nose while smiling, "There's also team JNPR and team RWBY. Jaune Arc's a great guy, he's just kinda dumb when it comes to certain things, but he's great at tactics. I'm training him in hand-to-hand combat. Pyrrha Nikos is his partner. Grandpa used to watch the Mistral tournaments and she won 4 years in a row. She's one of the greatest fighters of our year. Then there's Nora Valkyrie and Lie Ren; they're childhood friends, but I'm sure they both like each other despite what they say. They're really cool friends."

He cracked his knuckles as he continued, "Ruby Rose is the youngest student in Beacon at the age of 15, and she's awesome. Weiss Schnee is a bit harder to get to know since I assume she had a rough childhood. Blake Belladonna's a bit of a mystery, but she's nice and has great book recommendations. Yang Xiao Long is all over the place; more so than Callie, but less than Nora. She's great even when she's making inappropriate jokes and puns."

He sighed sadly, letting his smile fade from his lips, "Only a few people know of my condition, and most of them accept it, but I'm afraid of what others might say." He leaned back on the tombstone and gazed at the setting sun. "What do you guys think?"

Silence.

He chuckled lowly, "That's what I thought." He closed his eyes as he continued to lean on the tombstone.

Minutes past and he opened his eyes to the darkened sky. He let out a deep breath as he stood. He bid his family goodbye and walked towards the city. He was stopped short when he heard familiar yelling above him.

He brought his gaze up, staring at Sun and Blake as they jumped from building to building. "What the hell?" He muttered incredulously before flinching when a giant robot crushed a building.

He only had to guess who was inside that thing. "Roman Torchwick," He sneered in disgust.

He tightened his gloves before speeding over to it. He was close enough to shoot the machine with dust once they were coming close to the highway. Unfortunately, with his focus on the robot, he didn't sense enemies until they had attacked him.

He grunted when something hard slammed into him, sending him away from the robot and the highway. He lifted his head up towards the culprits, snarling when he was met with a large man wearing a White Fang uniform, and a girl who was all brown, pink, and white holding a parasol and smiling blankly. Even her eyes were different colors.

He lifted himself up, glaring at the two in front of him, "So you both work for Torchwick and the White Fang, huh?" He lifted his hands, showing his gloved weapons, "I hope you know that you can't stop me."

"We'll see about that," The masked man said lowly, revving his chainsaw. He charged while Onyx quickly changed his dust on his bracelet.

The Grimm boy dodged the attack from the chainsaw; bending backwards and watching it sail above him. He snapped up, charging his attack and slamming his fist into the man's chest. The air dust he had charged sent the man flying as well as his power behind the punch.

The girl with the parasol came at him fast, and he tried hard to keep up with her attacks. It took him a minute to realize she was very acrobatic, more so than he was, and used her parasol to block his dust attacks. Fire, lightning, and air shot everywhere seeing as he couldn't land one attack on her.

He could feel the Grimm in him roaring in anger at his frustration. He growled viciously, throwing a punch straight at her face. He certainly didn't expect to feel a punch on his face, sending him a few steps back.

When he turned back, he could see the girl grinning sadistically. Onyx jumped in the air to dodge another chainsaw attack. He switched dusts and slammed his fist on the man's back. The man shouted in pain as the lightning shot through his body.

Onyx quickly kicked him out of the way and kept his sights on the girl in front of him. He clenched his jaw tightly when the girl bowed. He rushed at her, throwing a fire punch. It felt like the world was mocking him when the girl shattered like glass before him.

He glanced around frantically, not catching a sight or scent of her. His anger grew when he noticed the White Fang man was gone as well. "Damn you!" He cried out into the night, howling at the broken moon.

He groaned harshly, "I'll kill them. I swear, I'll kill them all."

…

Onyx made it back to the dorm a little before curfew, which saved his hid from Glynda who only sighed and told him to remember to check the time. When he got to his dorm room, the lights were off. He assumed his teammates were asleep.

He was in the middle of changing into his pajamas when the light turned on. He blinked, turning around to find Rebekah and Callie glaring at him while Lando looked sheepishly tired. "Where have you been?" Callie demanded with her arms crossed.

"You've been gone all day, Onyx," Rebekah added, her eyes shining with worry.

Onyx finished putting his shirt on with a sigh, "Sorry. I guess I lost track of time. I promise, it won't happen again."

Lando walked up to him and patted his shoulder with a small smile, "It's fine, Captain. No harm, no foul." He turned to his female teammates, "Let's get some sleep." They all bid each other goodnight and went to their beds.

Onyx lay in bed, glaring at the ceiling with wet eyes. He made a vow that night; he was going to train to his last breath so he could beat Roman Torchwick, the White Fang, and the newly introduced Mercury Black and Emerald Sustrai. He would defeat them no matter what.


	9. Preparations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time was slowly getting there.

Chapter 9

_(The more) you knock me down the more I get back up_

_(The more) shut me up the more I'm gonna talk_

…

If there was one thing Onyx had no doubts about, it was that Pyrrha really was the best fighter of their year. She was literally mopping the floor with team CRDL. It was pretty amusing to see, really. Even if they had toned down their bullying, they were still assholes.

He watched in awe and amusement as she took on the rest of team CRDL after she took out Sky Lark. It wasn't long before she took out Dove and Russel, and slammed Cardin into the floor, ending the 2-minute match.

"And that's the match," Glynda announced as she walked onto the stage.

"Lucky shot," Cardin groaned before slumping to the floor in defeat.

Glynda spared him a glance as she spoke, "Well done, Miss Nikos. You should have no problem qualifying for the tournament."

Pyrrha smiled politely, "Thank you, Professor."

"Alright," Glynda spoke as she typed on her scroll. "I know that's a tough act to follow, but we have time for one more match. Any volunteers?" She gazed around at the stands where the students were seated.

Onyx was ready to raise his hand when the professor spoke again, "Miss Belladonna?" Blake snapped her book shut at the sound of her name. "You've been rather docile for the past few classes. Why don't you-"

"I'll do it."

Onyx tensed, moving his eyes to the owner of the voice. He could feel his incisors grow at the sight of Mercury raising his hand.

Glynda squinted her eyes, "Mercury, is it? Well, let's find you an opponent." She began working on her scroll.

"Actually," Mercury stood with a hand to his chin. "I wanna fight-"

"Me," Onyx quickly interjected, standing from his seat as well.

Mercury narrowed his eyes and snorted while shaking his head, "Uh, no. Actually-"

"Excellent," Glynda nodded and typed on her scroll. "The next match goes to Onyx Lupin and Mercury Black. Whenever you're ready, boys."

Onyx gave a nod before jumping from the stands onto the stage. Mercury rolled his eyes and followed the other boy's example. He raised his fists as he stared at the Grimm boy, "You know, you weren't the person I wanted to fight."

"That's funny," Onyx commented as he tightened his gloves. "I don't remember asking." He could see the silver haired male's eyes flash with irritation before he schooled his features.

Mercury charged at him, bringing up his leg for the first attack. Onyx uppercut the air, creating a pillar of ice that stopped Mercury's foot.

Mercury scowled, putting his leg down and backing away. Onyx clenched his jaw tightly before charging at the other male. He blocked Mercury's kicks, glaring harshly at the weapons that put his grandfather in the grave.

He had to tone down the Grimm roaring inside him; he promised Glynda on the first day he would never let anyone make him transform, even if it was the person who killed the last of his family.

Onyx grabbed Mercury's leg, stopping his kick. Before Mercury could tug his leg free, Onyx jumped into the air and kicked him hard in the face. Mercury stumbled back, glaring while Onyx looked smug at the red mark on the other male's face.

The Grimm boy charged again, ready to shoot the silver haired male full of dust when said male lifted his arms up in mock surrender and said, "I quit."

Onyx halted himself and narrowed his eyes, "Really?" He questioned doubtfully.

Mercury shrugged unapologetically, "I can see you're a force to be reckoned with. I'm gonna have to train harder if I wanna be at the same rate as you."

Onyx gritted his teeth as he held in his Grimm; he knew he was lying. He had seen him kill his grandfather like he was nothing but a bug. If there was one thing he'd always remember from the man who trained him, it was that people who have no qualms about killing are always an inch stronger than people that do.

"Well," Glynda cleared her throat. "The winner of this match is Onyx Lupin." The bell rang a moment later. "That is all for today," she announced to the class as they filed out of the room. "And remember, the dance is this weekend, but you all have your first mission on Monday. I will not accept any excuses."

Onyx growled before storming out of the room. Monty, he was so close.

…

Onyx slammed his fists into the punching bag. He couldn't get Mercury's smug face out of his head. He just wanted to hurt him, to kill him. He roared harshly, his throat protesting, as he shoved his hand into the punching bag, effectively ripping it open.

He panted heavily as he watched the sand from the bag pool on the floor. He wiped his face with his wrapped hands, not caring to think about whether or not it was tears or sweat coming from his face. He stopped caring about that months ago.

He straightened just as Jaune walked through the door. The blond glanced at the torn up punching bag before smiling sympathetically, "Wanna talk about it?"

Onyx wiped his nose, "No." He exhaled deeply, "Let's just start training."

"Okay," Jaune nodded, not wanting to pester the other male.

Once Onyx started their training, he knew there was something wrong. Jaune had gotten much better in fighting from when he first met him. With Onyx training him, Pyrrha training him, and the bit of Grimm now in him, he was only getting better as time went on.

When Onyx easily pushed him out of the ring with only one punch, he knew Jaune's head wasn't in it. The superior Grimm boy sighed, helping the other male up, "Alright, what's wrong?"

Jaune dusted himself off and shook his head, "I don't know…I guess my head's somewhere else. It's just," He smiled a bit. "I'm trying to figure out how to ask Weiss out to the dance." He scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.

Unfortunately for the blond, he didn't see Onyx's fist until it slammed into his face. "OW!" Jaune grabbed his now bleeding nose and gazed helplessly at his mentor, "What was that for?"

Onyx cracked his knuckles while glaring at the other male, "When are you going to learn, Jaune? She's not interested and she never will be." He knelt by Jaune's fallen form, "I know you have a crush on her, but I don't know why. She's not playing hard to get. She's mean to you because you won't leave her alone. She doesn't want you, Jaune."

Jaune swallowed, his eyes shining with tears he was desperately trying to hold back, "I know."

Onyx sighed before patting his shoulder reassuringly, "Don't worry, Jaune. I'm sure there's a girl waiting for you. You just have to open your eyes."

Jaune perked up, his eyes full of hope, "You think so?"

"I know so," Onyx nodded while helping his fellow Grimm infected friend up. "I mean, you're a great guy, Jaune. Just stop with the fake confidence act, take no for an answer, and maybe stop being so dense. You'll be good after that."

Jaune chuckled, giving a small punch to his friend's shoulder, "Thanks, Onyx." He glanced up at the clock and sighed, "Sorry for being so distracted and ruining training, but I better catch up with Pyrrha before she starts to worry."

Onyx waved his hand, "Go on. We'll practice again when we come back from our first mission."

Jaune nodded and ran out of the training room. Onyx exhaled with a shake of his head; hopefully he'd take his advice.

…

Cinder sat on the bed given by Beacon for the transfer students in the dorm while Emerald was on her scroll and Mercury was reading an X-Ray and Vav comic while lying on the ground. "So, you fought Onyx Lupin and gave up?"

"He's pretty strong. He seemed like he wanted to kill me. Probably would have tried if I didn't forfeit," Mercury answered as he flipped through his comic book.

"Really?" Cinder questioned, intrigued. "Do tell."

"Lupin? Why does that sound familiar?" Emerald muttered to herself as she began typing it in on her scroll.

Mercury waved his hand as he sat up, "No need. I already checked. Apparently, that old man you sent us to kill was his grandfather."

Emerald furrowed her brow, "But he doesn't know it's us. He just knows it's the White Fang."

"Interesting," Cinder drawled as she continued sewing. "He's just what we need. An angry boy to take out the White Fang if they get too hectic on us."

"You're not seriously thinking of brining him onto our side, are you?" Mercury asked, doubting her for a moment. "I mean I can take him out easily. There's no way he could take on the White Fang all by himself."

Cinder shook her head, "It doesn't matter. All we need is someone who's ready and willing to come to our side, giving us any kind of power. Who knows, maybe he's stronger than you think."

"Doubt it," Mercury grunted before flopping on his back.

The raven-haired woman smirked, "Don't worry. I'll see what he's capable of this weekend."

…

It was a quiet day in team ORCL's dorm as they worked on their latest assignments. Onyx, Rebekah, and Lando had finished their work while Callie had procrastinated and now had Lando helping her. Though the dance was tomorrow, none of them were worried.

Lando and Callie were going together as friends while Rebekah had been asked by a 2nd year. Onyx was fine going by himself. They had also finished their clothes shopping for the dance a few days before.

The Grimm boy blinked when a knock was heard. He glanced at his teammates who shrugged or shook their head. He sighed lightly, getting up from his bed to see who was at the door. He barely got it open before he was pulled out of the room by a very strong arm.

He yelped as he was dragged down the hall. The flash of red gave him the answer he needed. He groaned, "Pyrrha, where are you taking me?"

Pyrrha continued down the hall while holding onto his jacket, "We're going to Vale to go shopping."

Onyx whined childishly, "Why? I already went with Rebekah and Callie. Why can't you take Nora? I'm a guy. I'll be of no help."

"Exactly, you're a guy; a guy who hangs out with Jaune."

Onyx stumbled a bit as realization dawned on him, "Oh." He should've seen that coming.

Pyrrha was quiet after that, and he didn't feel the need to bring it up while they were still in the school. The ride in the airship was quiet. Onyx took the time to message his teammates to make sure they didn't worry.

It wasn't until they were at a dress shop that Pyrrha opened her mouth to speak, "So what exactly did you say to Jaune yesterday?" She tried to keep her tone nonchalant as she looked through the dresses on the racks.

Onyx shrugged, "I told him to give up on Weiss since she was never going to be interested in him. He really just needed to take no for an answer."

Pyrrha hummed lightly, and he could plainly see the smile she was trying to conceal. "Thank you."

"Whatever," He mumbled as he followed her to the dressing room area. "I did it so he could stop focusing on Weiss and start focusing on his studies, training, and being a great leader. I may have unlocked the door to his dense mind, but you haven't been doing a great job of trying to open it."

Pyrrha peeked her head out from the dressing room's curtain, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Onyx rolled his eyes as he sat down on one of the chairs they had for people waiting, "You like Jaune, a lot, but you're not exactly doing anything different than what his mother or his teachers would do."

He shook his head when the red head came out wearing an orange dress. "He doesn't see you have feelings for him because you basically treat everyone the same. The only thing you're doing for him and not everyone else is training him, but since I'm doing that as well, he just thinks you're being a really nice friend. Plus Ruby helps him with weapon maintenance and Ren helps him with fighting sometimes too."

A beat of silence passed before Pyrrha's voice came from the dressing room, "So what should I do?"

The Grimm boy leaned his head on his hand, "Just tell him how you feel. I'm sure he's not going to reject you. He probably thinks you're out of his league, and would never go for a guy like him."

He nodded approvingly when the Mistral Champion came out wearing a red dress, "That looks great. You should get it."

Pyrrha smiled widely before going back to get changed. After paying, they got on an airship back to Beacon. When they were on the ship, Pyrrha turned to him and gave him a genuine smile, "Thank you, Onyx. It means a lot."

He gave a small smile back, "You're welcome."

"I was wondering; do you have a date to the dance?" He shook his head with a chuckle as an answer.

"Was there any girl…or guy you wanted to ask?"

Onyx thought about a certain Faunus that had already asked someone he knew. He shrugged, ignoring the heat on his cheeks, "I mean I guess, but I'd rather just go alone with friends."

"I see," Pyrrha replied though she looked a bit unconvinced.

Once they got back, Pyrrha thanked Onyx once more before going into her dorm room. He went back to his where he chatted with his teammates before excusing himself, saying he needed to train.

He was by himself for a while, punching lightly at the bag in front of him. He didn't feel like putting and cleaning up another.

He paused when he saw Blake stagger in. He scratched his head confusedly "What are you doing here?" She was usually in the library when she wasn't with her team.

She looked up at him with exhausted eyes that were beginning to droop. She shrugged feebly, "I just…wanted to get an opinion from someone who was effected by the White Fang as well." She wrapped her arms around her own waist, hugging herself. "How can you be so calm after what they did to your grandfather, Onyx? You should be out there looking for answers. You should be out there looking for them-"

"I am!" Onyx raised his voice to cut her off. He glared at her, his eyes hard, "I know you feel this need to find answers because you were a part of the White Fang. I understand, but I don't see how making yourself an easier target for the enemy is helping anyone except them. You want to come to me, and ask why I haven't been doing what you've been doing?"

He sneered as she glared back, "I'm going on with my life. I'm training, eating, sleeping, and making sure everyone around me is okay so I don't lose another person in my life. What are you doing except slowly killing yourself?"

The tiny fire in Blake's eyes died as she took in his words. Onyx sighed heavily, hating himself. His grandfather used to tell him to never make a girl cry unless she made you cry first.

Focusing on his semblance, he put his hand on her slumped shoulder. He should have expected the wave of exhaustion, hunger, and anger that crashed down upon him. When he actually got his drooping eyes open, he could see Blake looking utterly rejuvenated.

She smiled a small smile, "Wow, that's some semblance you have there."

He smiled back groggily, "How 'bout you repay me by getting some sleep, okay? Then, after the dance and our first mission, we can get your grades back on track and train together. That sound good?"

Blake nodded gratefully, "Thanks, Onyx."

"No problem. I'm gonna let go now." He slowly took his hand away, and felt a twinge of guilt when Blake slumped once more.

They walked out of the training room, going back to their dorm rooms. In several hours, they would be getting ready for the dance.


	10. The Dance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was the day everyone had waited for.

Chapter 11

_Baby, it's time to make up your mind_

_I think that tonight is when our stars align_

_Honey, it's time to leave the doubt behind_

 _Take my hand 'cause you and I are gonna shine_

…

Growing up with a Grimm infection meant having no friends, which also meant not doing many activities normal teens did even in combat school. So school dances were very foreign to Onyx, and he was not liking the school tuxes. Luckily, Ozpin let him wear whatever he felt comfortable with. In all honesty, he didn't look good in white.

Onyx gently patted his slicked back hair; he really needed a haircut. The last time he thought that was-. He cut off that train of thought. It was a happy night. There was no use for those thoughts tonight.

"Onyx!" Yang exclaimed excitedly before glomping him. "Oh, you look so handsome!"

Onyx laughed a bit uneasily before hugging the blonde back. It was the first hug that didn't involve his face pressed into her chest. "Thanks, Yang. You seem to be having fun."

Yang pulled away with a wide grin, "It's nice seeing everyone so carefree."

"It is refreshing," He replied, his eyes scanning the ballroom. He felt a smile tug on his lips when he spied Nora waving enthusiastically as she practically dragged Ren around the dance floor.

He turned back to Yang, "I think I'm gonna go get some punch."

Yang patted his cheek with a wink, "Well, I hope you'll save me a dance."

Onyx nodded with a chuckle, "You got it." With one last smile to the buxom blonde, he walked to the refreshment table.

Once he made it there, he smiled at Ruby who was already sipping the punch. Said huntress-in-training giggled as she brought her cup down, "You look nice, Onyx."

Onyx grinned, "You too. Black and red?"

"You know it, brother." They gave each other a high five.

Onyx was glad she didn't comment on the horrid scars on his hands. "Not dancing?" He piped up as he got himself some punch.

Ruby shrugged, "Not really much of a dancer. And I'd feel bad if I was having so much fun since Weiss…isn't."

Onyx followed her gaze to the heiress who was trying to fix a doily on one of the tables. He smirked while nudging her, "Why don't you ask her to dance?" He resisted the urge to laugh outright when Ruby turned the same color as her dress.

She choked on her punch, but was saved from saying anything as Sun, Blake, and Neptune walked up. "Bro!" Sun grinned widely, holding out his fist expectantly.

Onyx chuckled, butterflies fluttering in his stomach as they bumped fists, "Hey, Bro. Having fun?"

"To the highest level," Sun replied, his grey eyes bright. Onyx noted that this was probably the happiest he had ever seen. His heart sunk a bit; that brightness was for someone else.

The song changed causing Blake to smile, "I like this song." Sun turned to her, ready to take her hand. The raven-haired girl shook her head lightly, turning to the other dark haired student and held out her hand, "Onyx?"

Onyx felt his cheeks heat up, and glanced at Sun who was still grinning. He gave her a nod and a smile, "I'd be honored."

He took her hand and they walked to the dance floor. Once he had one hand on her waist and the other clasped with her hand, he chuckled sheepishly, "For the record, I've never ballroom danced before, so I apologize in advance if I step on your foot."

Blake smirked, "It's fine, Onyx. This is the first time I've ballroom danced as well. Just follow my lead."

Onyx stared at her amber eyes, and remembered why he was so attracted to her the first week of school. He still was, but she was way out of his league. Almost all the girls at this school were, and he had his eye on someone who didn't go to their school.

"Onyx?"

Onyx blinked out of his reverie, "Yeah?"

Blake frowned, looking down in a bit of shame, "I'm sorry. I never got to tell you that."

He softened; he didn't need to ask to know what she was talking about. He squeezed the hand that was in his, smiling reassuringly, "Hey, don't worry about it. I understand."

Blake still shook her head in protest, "It wasn't fair to you. You lost your grandfather, and you even saved us from Torchwick and we just left you to think we were disgusted by you. And the last time I saw you, I didn't even apologize. Sun and Ruby told me they already apologized, so I'm so sorry for being the last to tell you. If anything, I should've understood your situation the most, an-"

"Hey, hey, hey," Onyx said quietly, trying to calm her rambling down. "Deep breaths."

Once Blake did so, he continued with a gentle tone, "Blake, you don't have to be sorry for anything. I understand. Trust me, I knew it was gonna be a shock. My grandfather told me to tell people I trust. I was going to tell you guys, but the only one I ended up telling was Jaune, and Penny found out on her own, and obviously my team and the professors know.

"I trust you guys, I do, but I need time. I do plan on telling Yang, Nora, Ren, Pyrrha, and Weiss but I need time. You may be a Faunus, but I'm something else entirely. I'm something people and Faunus fear."

Blake nodded as she processed his words. After a beat, she gave him a small smile, "Thank you, Onyx. You really are as nice as Ruby says you are."

Onyx's smile widened, "And thank you. I try. Now," He twirled her out, and bowed. "Thank you for the dance."

"Thank you," Blake laughed lightly with a curtsy.

She had a pretty laugh, he thought before he yelped as he was suddenly lifted into the air by a familiar pair of arms. "Captain!" Callie shouted enthusiastically.

"You look very nice, Captain," Lando complimented as he set his leader down.

Onyx coughed, patting the blond Faunus' shoulder, "Thanks, guys. It's nice to see you too." He gave a wave to Blake who went back to Sun and Neptune.

"Having fun?" Lando asked with a gentle smile.

Onyx smiled back, patting his Faunus teammate's arm once more, "I'm fine. What about you guys?"

"We're having the best time, Captain," Callie nodded in reply with a wide grin.

"We're gonna get some food," Lando spoke up. "You wanna get some?"

Onyx waved his hand dismissively while keeping his smile, "I'll catch up with you guys. But if you see Rebekah, call me over. Maybe we can all dance together."

Callie cheered as Lando escorted her to their table. Onyx chuckled at her exuberance before turning around only to find himself face to face with the headmaster. Ozpin gave him a small smile, "It's nice seeing you have such a great time, Mr. Lupin."

Onyx inhaled deeply, "Thank you. It's nice to have a great time for once." He resisted the urge to run his hand through his hair; he spent too much time on it to damage it with his anxiety.

"Well," Ozpin nodded towards the dancing students. "I won't keep you from having anymore fun. Have a good night, Onyx."

Onyx smiled slightly, "You too, Professor."

Once Ozpin walked away, Onyx turned around, trying to find some familiar faces. He blinked when he saw a familiar head of red hair. He knew it wasn't Pyrrha since the girl didn't have the golden circlet, and she was shorter than the champion.

"Rebekah!" He called, moving through the mass of students. Though he had seen her dress and what she looked like before the dance, he was not expecting what he saw.

"What are you wearing?" He asked as he saw her practically drowning in a Beacon issued tux. "Is that-" He sniffed closer to her when he caught a familiar scent. "Jaune's?!"

Rebekah laughed nervously, waving her arms about; Onyx could barely see her hands with how much the blazer was eating her arms. "No, no," She protested, tugging on her leader's arm. "Jaune wanted my dress because apparently he promised Pyrrha that if she didn't get a date, he'd wear a dress. He took mine because Callie's was too small, as was Ruby's and Nora's, and he didn't dare ask Weiss or Yang, so I was the last choice."

Onyx rolled his eyes, "Of course he did. He couldn't just-" He was cut off by many students bursting into loud laughter.

He turned around, trying to find out why when he saw Jaune's blond hair from Pyrrha's red. He focused his hearing as he heard Jaune chuckle sheepishly, _"A promise is a promise."_

He then heard Pyrrha's loud, happy laughter clearly and felt a smile tug at his lips. Pyrrha giggled as she tried to calm her laughter to speak, _"J-Jaune, you didn't have to."_

He saw Jaune shake his head as he began to walk closer. He didn't need super hearing to hear what was next. "An Arc never goes back on his word. Now are you gonna stand there and laugh at me, or do you wanna dance?" Jaune held out his hand invitingly.

Pyrrha smiled brightly as she took his hand, "I would love to dance. Ooh!" She exclaimed in surprise when Jaune pulled her into his arms.

Onyx laughed in disbelief as Jaune moved them away. He heard Nora gasp happily, "Ren, this. is. happening!"

Ren blinked before turning his gaze, staring at a wall, "Wait, what is happening?"

The hammer wielder took her partner's arm and dragged him towards their other teammates. Onyx cheered on with the other students as team JNPR danced in synchronization to a very upbeat song. He clapped along with the beat as Jaune took Pyrrha to the side before dipping her and twirling her away.

Onyx laughed before joining team JNPR, Sun and Blake as they danced in the middle of the ballroom. He shared a wide, happy grin with Pyrrha as she danced with Jaune and high fived Sun as they danced side by side.

He also laughed when Callie, Lando, and Rebekah and her date joined. Pyrrha's face was priceless when she saw Rebekah, but, luckily, she didn't say anything and kept the smile on her face as she kept dancing.

If only the rest of team RW(B)Y joined as well; it really would've been great. At the corner of his eye, he could see Penny dancing with one of her guards and felt his smile widen; it really was a great night.

When the song faded into another, they all stopped while the other students clapped for them. Onyx patted Jaune's shoulder while the blond panted out a laugh, "Man, that was fun."

Onyx laughed with him and followed the others to the tables. He was getting a little danced out too. He sat at the table with Rebekah and her date. He was casually munching on cookies as he watched Sun dance with Blake by his side. Yang was talking with Weiss, Ren, and Nora. Callie and Lando were talking to Oobleck and Port while Neptune was dancing idiotically; he knew that whole cool thing was an act.

When he realized he was out of snacks, he left the table, not needing to tell Rebekah he was leaving quickly. As he walked towards the refreshment table, his eyes caught a beautiful female in a dark dress in front of him.

Her amber eyes caught his obsidian ones, and for a second, he thought his heart stopped. When she smiled, it seemed all coy, "Onyx Lupin in the flesh. I don't believe my eyes."

He furrowed his brow confusedly, but tried to put on a kind smile, "I'm sorry, do I know you?" Her scent seemed slightly familiar, but nothing was popping up.

She chuckled demurely, holding out her gloved hand, "Cinder. I've heard a bit about you from the other students. You are one of the greatest male fighters in your year."

His ears heated up as he smiled modestly, "O-oh, I see." He shook her hand.

Cinder bit her lip, glancing at the dance floor, "Would you like to dance?"

Onyx choked on his voice as his eyes flew around frantically. Was she really...? He glanced over at Sun and Blake, seeing the two laugh and dance with each other. What else did he have to lose? "Y-yeah, yeah," He stammered out eventually.

Cinder's smile was his undoing as she followed to the dance floor. His hands were shaking as he put them on her waist, and he was sure she could feel his pounding heart. His cheeks were heating up as she smirked before leaning in to whisper in his ear, "Just relax."

He was dying. He was sure of it.


	11. Down Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They had the rest of the day to relax before the mission.

Chapter 11

_So I kiss goodbye to every single ounce of pain  
Light a cigarette and wish the world away_

…

Onyx honestly didn't know why the school would have a dance and then have their first mission the next day. Apparently, that didn't faze his teammates. He groaned miserably, when they knocked off his headphones so he could hear everything going on around him.

When he opened his eyes, he could see Rebekah, Callie, and Lando already in their combat clothes. He rubbed his eyes, hoping that it would help him wake up a bit more, "What time is it?"

"7:30," Rebekah replied with a small smile. "The mission debriefing is in an hour."

Onyx resisted the urge to pout as he got out of bed, "I'll be quick." He made it to the restroom sluggishly and cleaned up to start the day.

Once he had his combat clothes on, he walked out of the restroom where his teammates were waiting. He gave them a grin, "We ready to go?"

Callie finished cleaning Lancer before nodding, "We're ready, Captain."

"Let's get a move on." Onyx walked out of the room with them. He stole a glance back when he heard team JNPR's door open as well. He bumped fists with Jaune as his team caught up with them, "Hey, Jaune. You a bit more comfortable now?"

Jaune snorted, pushing his shoulder in return, "Very funny. So what kind of mission are you guys looking for?"

Onyx shrugged, "Well a few days ago, Rebekah and Callie said they really wanted to shadow some cops, so we're gonna see what we find when we get there."

Jaune nodded in response, "Yeah, same with us. Ren and Nora wanted to go to this village to shadow the sheriff."

Onyx hummed as they made it out of the dormitory; he wondered if they were from that village.

They made it to the auditorium where the rest of Beacon and transfer students were at. Onyx and his team stood a few ways away from team JNPR as they waited for Ozpin to start. He soon caught four familiar scents appear behind him. He let a smile bloom as Glynda spoke into the mic, "Quiet! Quiet please! Professor Ozpin would like to share a few words before we begin."

She walked away from the mic as Ozpin went up to speak, "Today we stand united. Mistral, Atlas, Vacuo, Vale; the four kingdoms of Remnant. On this day, nearly 80 years ago, the largest war in recorded history came to an end. It was a war of ignorance, of greed, and of oppression. A war that was about much more than where borders fell or who traded with who, but about the very idea of individualism itself. We fought for countless of reasons. One of which being the destruction of all forms of art and self expression. And as you are well aware, that was something we could not stand for.

"As a result, those who opposed this tyranny began naming their children after one of the core aspects of art itself; color. It was their way to demonstrate that not only would they refuse to tolerate this oppression, but neither would the generations to come. And it was a trend that is held to this very day. We encourage individuality, expressionism, and unity through diversity."

Onyx grinned with his teammates as Ozpin continued, "As I have said, today we stand together united, but this bond cannot exist without effort; which is why today, while the rest of the world celebrates peace, Huntsmen and Huntresses will work to uphold it. As first year students, you'll be tasked with shadowing a professional Huntsmen or Huntress on a mission."

Some screens began to light up, showing multiple missions in different areas in Vale. "Some of you will be taken out of the kingdom for several days. Others may work within the walls for the rest of the week. But no matter which path you choose, remember to be safe, remember your training, and remember to do your very best," Ozpin ended before he walked off stage.

Onyx clapped with the rest of the students for a moment. He turned to his team, gesturing to the screens, "Come on, guys. Let's see what we can get."

Callie saluted as she followed the rest of her teammates. They waited in a short line before finally getting to the screen. Onyx hummed as he clicked village security for a quadrant in Vale. Rebekah tapped her chin as her leader clicked in the team name, "So we start tomorrow?"

Lando smiled lightly, "That's good, right? We'll get a good night's rest before we start."

"You always have the best ideas, Lando," Callie grinned as they walked out of the auditorium.

Onyx put an alarm on his scroll as his teammates when ahead of him. He gazed around as he stood at the entrance of the auditorium, hoping to find a certain face. When no faces popped out, he sighed, turning around to walk out. He stopped just an inch away from Ruby when he caught her scent. He grinned, "Hey, look who's alive. Yang told me General Ironwood and Ozpin had you in his office for something. You okay?"

Ruby gave a sheepish smile as she nodded, "Yeah. Some stuff went down in the CCT tower. We think it might be connected to the White Fang."

Onyx's eyes narrowed into slits at the name of the organization, "Really? Who was it?"

Ruby shrugged, "She wore a mask and clothes infused with dust. I didn't get a look at her face."

Onyx frowned, "I wish I would've known. I probably could've caught a scent on her."

Ruby's eyes seemed to light up at that, "That could've come in handy." She smiled a bit, "I wish you guys could come with us for the mission. We could really use that nose for finding the White Fang."

"That would be cool," Onyx mumbled. "But I doubt Ozpin would let me. He probably thinks I would go on a rampage on-" He was cut off by a backpack slamming on his foot. He glanced down with Ruby and caught a familiar scent, "Is that a-"

Ruby snatched up the bag with lightning speed while rambling, "Well Onyx it was great seeing you. Hope you have a good mission. Gotta go. Bye!" She sped off after that before he could get a word in.

He shook his head as he walked out, "Why would she have a dog at school?"

When he got outside, he could see Sun and Neptune speaking to Rebekah, Lando, and Callie. With his heart skipping a beat at the sight, he walked up to them, raising a questioning eyebrow, "Hey, guys. What's going on?"

Sun grinned widely, "Hey Bro, we were just seeing if you guys wanted to hang out with us tonight. Rebekah said your mission doesn't start till tomorrow."

Onyx nodded, a smile coming onto his lips, "I'm up for it if my team is as well."

Callie cheered while Rebekah grinned at the two members of SSSN, "Just give us the time and dorm number, and we'll be there."

Sun fist pumped with Neptune and nodded as they ran off. Lando smiled lightly, "I like parties."

…

It had seemed that team ORCL wasn't the only team Sun and Neptune invited, Onyx thought bemusedly as he spotted team JNPR inside the dorm room as well. Nora was enthusiastically talking to Sun with Ren at her side. Pyrrha was awkwardly sitting by Jaune who was trying not to look so intimidated by the muscular green haired guy.

"Guess who's here?" Neptune called to everyone as he shut the door behind them.

Sun leaped up from one of the beds with a grin, "Hey, Bro." He bumped fists with Onyx before turning to the others, "Let me introduce you to my other teammates. Guys, this is team ORCL. Team ORCL, these are my teammates Sage," He pointed to the muscular green haired male in the room. "And Scarlet." He pointed to the red haired male in the room. "Scarlet, Sage, this is Onyx, Rebekah, Callie, and Lando."

"Hey," Scarlet waved as Sage just gave them a nod.

"Hey," Team ORCL murmured back as they took a seat around the room.

Onyx bumped fists with Sun as everyone sat down, "So, what do you have in store for us? I mean, I have nothing else to do except train and get a good night's sleep."

Sun shrugged sheepishly, "I guess we can play some games. Maybe watch a movie."

"Scary movies?" Onyx questioned with a small grin.

Rebekah laughed from her seat next to Scarlet, "Onyx loves scary movies. That's like the one scary thing about him."

"And my fists," The Grimm boy joked, lifting up his gloved hands.

"Alright, alright," Sun chortled, smacking the other boy's hands away. "We'll watch scary movies. What are you in the mood for? _Grimm's Play_? _A Nightmare on Oak Street_?"

Callie's hand shot up, "Ooh, ooh," She exclaimed excitedly. "What about _Freaks of the Living Dead_?"

" _Supernatural Activity_?" Nora offered enthusiastically.

Onyx chuckled, "How about _Reaper's Creeper_? Or _The Rare Witch Project_? Or maybe _Hallow's Eve_?"

Most were surprised when Scarlet laughed. The red haired member of team SSSN smirked, "You read my mind. _The Rare Witch Project_ it is."

"Yes," Onyx clapped, moving to sit next to Jaune. He glanced at his Faunus teammate and smiled sympathetically. "Sorry, Lando. I know how you're afraid of scary movies."

Lando shook his head with a tremulous smile, "It's okay. You like scary movies and everyone else seems to want to watch them. Don't stop on my account."

Onyx rubbed his back comfortingly as Sun and Neptune put on the TV and DVD player. Neptune turned off the light as Sun took a seat next to Onyx. The Grimm boy digested the butterflies in his gut, not wanting to freak out his friend. Neptune took his seat next to Rebekah who smiled a bit tensely; she knew how he was around girls and was not in the mood for that.

As the movie started, Onyx could feel Lando getting more tense by the seconds which was saying something since he was never tense. He wrapped his arm around Lando as the movie went on, rubbing his other arm even as the Faunus hid his face in his shoulder. The position was awkward, but Onyx would do everything in his power to make his teammates comfortable.

Rebekah was focused solely on the movie, as were Callie and Nora. Ren was boredly watching the movie behind his partner. Pyrrha was trying to figure out what was going on while Jaune was biting his nails in suspense as one of the cameramen went missing. Team SSSN was doing fine in watching the movie as well.

Once the movie ended, Jaune was muttering about corners of rooms while the rest of them stretched out. "Should we watch another movie?" Sun suggested. He shrugged, "I mean, it's a party."

"Might as well," Onyx answered with a grin. He loved watching scary movies no matter what time it was. He blamed it mostly on his grandfather who was a big movie buff, but only showed Onyx horror movies ironically.

" _Reaper's Creeper_ it is," Neptune announced while everyone ignored Jaune's fearful whimper.

Once the movie had started, Lando had fallen asleep from the stress of his fright of the movie. Jaune was practically crying throughout the whole thing, muttering about how someone was going to take his eyes. Since Pyrrha didn't get the movie, she spent most of it trying to comfort each other.

Onyx blinked, opening his eyes wide when Scarlet turned on the light again. He groaned, rubbing his eyes as he helped Lando up. "Guess we're gonna head out. Gotta get up bright and early."

Sun nodded groggily, "Kay. See you when the mission's over."

They bumped fists as team ORCL and JNPR exited the room. Onyx was surprised they actually made it to their rooms. Rebekah, Pyrrha, and Ren were the only ones awake enough to actually drag their teammates back.

When they made it to their rooms and got ready to go to bed, Onyx really wished they forgone the second movie when he felt Lando climb into his bed and squish him into his arms.


	12. Grimm in Vale

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He hated Grimm with a passion.

Chapter 12

_Now it's time to say goodbye,  
To the things we loved,  
And the innocence of youth.  
How the time seemed to fly,  
From our carefree lives,  
And the solitude and peace we always knew._

…

_"Onyx, go! Find your grandfather! Your mother and I can take care of this!"_

_"I'm not leaving, Papa! I can help!"_

_"Listen to your father, Onyx! Just go!"_

_"No, Mama!"_

_"ONYX!"_

Onyx gasped sharply, shooting up from his bed. He panted raggedly, feeling beads of sweat drip down the back of his neck. He wiped his face with his sleeve harshly. He hadn't dreamt about his parents in years. What was with this sudden change in dreamless sleeps?

"Captain," Lando groaned, sitting up in the bed with his leader. He scrubbed at his eyes tiredly. "Is everything okay? You were thrashing around so much you almost knocked me off the bed."

The Grimm boy shook his head, his hands gripping his blankets tightly, "Sorry, Lando. It was just a dream. Go back to sleep. We have our mission in the morning."

Lando yawned as he settled back down on the bed, "If you're sure."

Onyx nodded before blinking when he heard his Scroll vibrating on the nightstand next to his bed. He grabbed the mobile device and gazed at the screen, finding Ruby's picture staring back at him. He furrowed his brow confusedly before answering, "Hello?"

The sound of something crashing loudly assaulted his ears. He flinched, taking the phone away from his ear only to find the call had ended. He frowned as he stared at the phone; what the hell was that all about?

.

Onyx shut his eyes tightly, willing his stupid exhaustion to take the back burner so they could at least start this mission. Even though Lando had amazing hugs and was a great cuddler, he couldn't go back to sleep. Every time he closed his eyes, all he could see was his parents fighting Beowolves before getting mauled by them.

He came to terms with it years ago. He had to. He was 5 years old dealing with a Grimm infection spreading through him. He turned into a Beowolf. He didn't have time to grieve his parents because he was dealing with his own problems and by the time he had actually got control of his problem, he didn't once think about his parents until his grandfather made him.

It hurt. It would always hurt, but that didn't mean he hadn't moved on from it. He knew them for all of 5 years and only remembered them for 6 months before they died. He cried for them, he mourned for them when he could, but he didn't know why they were coming back in his dreams when his grandfather's death was what hit him harder than anything else.

"You okay?" Onyx blinked out of his reverie when he felt Rebekah nudge him. He turned to her, finding her eyes gazing at him worriedly. She frowned, gesturing to her own face, "You have bags under your eyes."

He rolled his shoulders, fixing his gloves, "I'm fine, just didn't get much sleep last night."

Rebekah nodded, "Was Lando cuddling too much?" She threw a glance to her blond teammate who only smiled back sheepishly. "I mean, I would've guessed he's a great cuddler."

"He is," Onyx replied quietly as they stepped on the loading dock. "Just…" He sighed lowly, shoving his hands in his pocket, "Just some bad dreams. I'm fine though."

"Right," His partner muttered as the back of the airship opened so they could get on board.

Before any of them could step food on the platform, a sharp alarm wailed throughout Vale. Onyx flinched, covered his ears tightly as the alarm almost made his ears bleed. "What the hell?" He grunted out, trying to ignore the ringing in his ears.

"It must be something in Vale," Rebekah spoke up, holding her ears as well. "We have to go there anyways. They wouldn't sound the alarm unless something big was happening."

Onyx nodded firmly, "Let's go." He grabbed the arms of his teammates who were still cringing at the alarm and rushed them into the airship. He tapped the pilot on the shoulder, "Get us to Vale and fast."

The pilot nodded and started the airship. Onyx watched as they got closer to Vale and could see the smoke billowing from the buildings. What was going on? What had happened so suddenly and so harshly that they needed to sound the alarm?

His dark eyes widened as he stared at swarm of Grimm that infested Vale. How the hell did they get there? "What the hell?"

Callie exhaled in a bit of awe, "Wow, how'd that happen?"

"Seems like team RWBY would know," Rebekah said, gesturing to the ground where Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang were fighting the Grimm to their fullest extent.

"Here comes backup," Lando added with a small smile. The four of them moved their gaze to see team JNPR land on the ground and fight the Grimm with team RWBY.

Onyx tightened his gloves, giving a small nod, "Now there's more." He patted the wall of airship, "Open the hatch, we're good to go."

The pilot gave a nod and clicked a few buttons. The hatch opened, letting the four of them jump out. "Thanks," Onyx gave a small salute to the pilot before following his teammates out of the ship.

The four of them hit the floor, weapons at the ready. Onyx scanned the area before speaking, "Split up. Take out as many as you can, and make sure no civilians get hurt."

"Roger!" The rest of team ORCL split from their leader and began to attack.

Onyx watched them go before gazing around to see what the others were doing. Pyrrha, Ren, and Nora seemed to easily take out the Grimm in front of them while Jaune was doing well on his own. It was the same with team RWBY.

He was knocked out of his thoughts when alarm bells went off in his head. He reacted quickly, catching the tusks of the Boarbatusk that attacked him. He smirked wickedly, red pooling over his eyes.

He ripped the tusks from the Grimm before slamming his fist full of flames into its head, effectively killing it. He felt his fingers break and grow, ending when they were fully grown and sharp.

He shoved his whole hand into the Ursa that came at him. When he noticed a few Creeps coming at him, he retracted his hand from the Grimm that he just killed and punched towards the other dark creatures, shooting strong lightning bolts at them.

Their sharp, dying screeches alerted more Grimm towards him. Onyx jumped onto the back of an Alpha Beowolf, grabbing its jaw and ripping it off its hinges. He planted his feet firmly on the ground and shot an enormous blast of air at the Nevermore who came at him.

When the wind died, he was surprised to see the Nevermore drop dead before him. He moved his gaze up, grinning when he saw a smirking Rebekah spinning her arrows above it with two other arrows lodged into the Grimm's back.

It was then that Onyx took notice of the Atlesian Knight-200 that were now fighting the creatures. A glance to the side showed him that Coco of team CFVY had already annihilated every single Grimm that stood in her and her team's way. If that wasn't badass, he didn't know what was.

It wasn't long before Glynda came and repaired the town while also taking out the last of the Grimm. It was a sight to see really. Onyx and his team walked up to the others were gathered around.

Onyx grinned at Ruby, giving her a fist bump, "Seems like you guys really like to stir up trouble."

Ruby scratched her head embarrassedly. Onyx only got out a bit of a chuckle before he felt his face smushed into an all too familiar pair of breasts. He yelped, "Yang!"

Yang laughed, ruffling his already messy hair, "You fought pretty well out there, Onyx. It was really cool to see you in your natural element."

He patted her back with a shaky hand, "You too, Yang. Now can you let me go?" He breathed a sigh of relief when she released him. He turned his gaze over to Sun and Neptune who were grinning happily. He narrowed his eyes, "Did you guys even do anything? When I got here, you were just showing up and flashing your badges."

Neptune puffed out his chest with pride, "We're junior detectives."

"Great, that's fine," Onyx sneered at the blue haired idiot. "That's not what I asked." He turned to Sun who looked away in what seemed like shame. "I'm asking why you didn't do anything, Bro."

"It's fine," Jaune patted his shoulder, smiling reassuringly. "He's here and safe, that's all that matters."

The Grimm boy grunted as he crossed his arms and turned away, his heart constricting in his chest, "Whatever." His shoulders slumped before he turned back, addressing Jaune, "Uh hey, since the Vytal Festival and the tournament are still going on, how about we add more people to training?"

"A group training?" Ruby asked eagerly, suddenly appearing beside them. "Ooh, ooh, I wanna come! Count me in."

Onyx chuckled, high fiving her before turning to his blond friend, "So, how 'bout it?"

Jaune shrugged with a small grin, "Hey, you're the teacher. Besides, the more the merrier."

Ren nodded as well, "I'm sure it'll be a learning experience." Nora was jumping up and down excitedly beside him.

"That sounds great," Pyrrha smiled widely.

Weiss huffed with a smirk, "Only if you can keep up."

Yang pumped her fists, "Oh, hells yeah! I'm all in."

"I guess it'll be fun," Blake muttered amusedly.

Rebekah tapped her leader's shoulder, getting his attention. She smiled hesitantly when she had his eyes on her, "Well, Lando, Callie, and I have been thinking; we'll train with you guys, but I don't think we'll join the tournament."

"What? Why?" Onyx asked in disbelief. There was no way he was going to be the only one of his team who competed in the tournament.

Callie shrugged, "We just think that if you're going to be participating with team RWBY, JNPR, CFVY, CRDL, and SSSN, there's no way we can all win. We're just lightening the competition."

"We hope you understand, Captain," Lando said pleadingly.

Onyx sighed heavily, shaking his head, "While I don't agree with it, I understand. Either way, you can train with us no matter what."

"Good," Rebekah smiled, punching her leader's shoulder lightly.

As they all began to walk away, Sun ran up to Onyx before he got too far, "Bro, I need to talk to you."

Onyx resisted the urge to roll his eyes before gesturing for his team to go on ahead, "What is it?"

Sun scratched the back of his head, putting on a hopeful grin, "Well, Neptune and I wanna know if that training invitation extends to us too. It'd be awesome to train with all you guys."

"I don't know," Onyx replied harshly as he crossed his arms and glared at the blond Faunus. "Do you plan on training or are you gonna be playing around with Neptune and suddenly holding your head high when everyone else does the work?"

Sun deflated, "Bro-" He held his hand out.

"Don't," Onyx growled, smacking the hand Sun outstretched towards him. "I know it may seem like I'm being unreasonable, but if you have the power to defeat Grimm, use it. Don't just stand there and pretend you're making a difference because you have someone as stupid as you standing next to you."

He clenched his fists tightly, gritting his teeth, "I lost my parents to Grimm because I couldn't do anything, but I was 5 years old. I couldn't do anything while they died in front of me. If someone was hurt or if someone died today, and you did nothing but flash those stupid badges with Neptune, you'd be dead to me. I don't need useless baggage when I have too much to carry on my shoulders already."

He shoved his shoulder into the blond's as he walked away, snarling, "Go have fun with Neptune. I'm going to actually train."

As he walked away, maybe shattering one of his strongest friendships and whatever chance that could've been there, he realized what that dream was about. He couldn't just let himself stand around while others did the work. He had to make a difference. He was a huntsmen-in-training, he needed to keep the peace and balance the world with his fellow huntsmen and huntresses.

Still, he thought as he held his suddenly pain filled forearm with tears swelling in his eyes, he wished Sun would've been able to stand with him.


	13. Preparing for the Tournament

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Losses and gains are found.

Chapter 13

_Be a man  
We must be swift as a coursing river  
Be a man  
With all the force of a great typhoon  
Be a man  
With all the strength of a raging fire  
Mysterious as the dark side of the moon_

…

Unfortunately, before anyone could start their training, they had to actually start and finish the missions they signed up for. There were no excuses, as Goodwitch said. She even glared at the people who tried to use Grimm invading Vale as an excuse. Since team RWBY technically finished their mission, they relaxed most of the time while team ORCL and JNPR had to finish theirs.

They were back in less than 3 days. Team ORCL shadowed some officers in Vale and helped with some cleanup while team JNPR shadowed a sheriff in a nearby village. When team JNPR got off the airship, everyone knew something was wrong. Jaune's, Pyrrha's, Nora's eyes were filled with sorrow while Ren's stoic mask was in place.

Ruby and Yang wondered with Rebekah, Lando, and Callie about what might have happened on the trip, but only Onyx could accurately guess what it was; Ren lost someone, someone he had been waiting to see which was why he and Nora chose the village to visit for their mission. It was most likely his father or his mother.

It wasn't until Ren didn't show up for training that he decided to talk to him.

It was a nice day out, and the teams decided to use the workout room before actually getting into a spar. Jaune was the one to deliver the news that Ren was not going to join them and might not join the tournament like he had previously said.

"What?" Onyx asked in disbelief, staring wide eyed at the blond in front of him. He shook his head, trying to line up his thoughts, "Uh, okay. Hold on, what happened on that mission?"

Jaune bit his lip, scratching the back of his neck, "It's really not my place to say."

"So, don't say. I'll guess." When Jaune didn't protest, the Grimm boy continued, "Does it have to do with the village you went to?"

A small grunt was Jaune's confirming reply.

"Does it have to do with Ren's family?"

A twitch of Jaune's head.

"Was it his…" He hesitated, going through many scenarios in his mind that could put the normally stoic, yet content lotus into a depressed state before finally settling on one. "Did his dad die?"

The light that dies a bit in Jaune's blue eyes was all the answer he needed. Onyx closed his eyes, hating the fact that another one of his friends has lost a loved one. Ruby lost her mother, Yang never knew her mother, Weiss lost her mother, Nora lost her mother, and now Ren lost his father. No one deserved that.

He rubbed the bridge of his nose, exhaling deeply, "Oh man." He dropped his hand, crossing his arms. He gave a small nod to the blond leader, "I'll talk to him."

"You sure?" Jaune questioned uncertainly. He frowned a bit, shaking his head, "I don't think he wants to talk. He even shuts Nora out."

Onyx patted his shoulder, "Let me just try, okay?" He walked out of the workout room, putting on a t-shirt as he made his way towards team JNPR's dorm room.

Once he made it to the door, his hand shook has he held it up, ready to knock. He didn't know what was going to happen when that door opened; was Ren going to yell? No, that seemed out of character even in his state. Was he going to ignore him? Probably, but Onyx did that when his grandfather died. Were they going to say something they regret? Most definitely, but Onyx knew they wouldn't mean it.

With that in mind, he knocked on the door firmly, and waited patiently. Less than a minute later, the door opened before him. "Onyx?" Ren asked in surprise, his wide eyes on the other male in front of him.

Onyx smiled a bit, shuffling his feet, "Mind if I come in?"

Ren walked back inside, leaving the door open. Onyx followed him, shutting the door behind him. He stuffed his hands in the pockets of his shorts, starting slowly, "So, how are you feeling?"

"I'm fine, Onyx," Ren replied, sitting down on his bed. He grabbed Stormflower, continuing to clean them. He glanced up questioningly, "Is that all?"

Onyx shook his head slowly, sitting on the bed next to the other boy's, "You know it's not, Ren." He put his elbows on his legs, leaning forward, "You gonna tell anyone what's wrong?"

Ren was silent as he continued to clean Stormflower. The Grimm boy worked his jaw before speaking again, "You know, it's not good to keep all your emotions inside. They eventually have to come out."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Ren…" Onyx huffed silently, running a hand through his thick locks. He ran a hand over his face somberly, "It doesn't get better through time." He saw Ren's hand falter on his weapon. He went on, "People always say time helps you deal with loss. It technically does, but it also depends on your state of mind."

Ren stopped cleaning completely, but didn't look away from his weapon. Onyx swallowed dryly, "When my parents died, I didn't think much on it. I was young, and I was…dealing with some things that took my mind away from the loss. When I finally got my life back on track, I was already too far gone to mourn them properly.

"When my grandfather died, I…" Tears swelled in his eyes against his will. He clenched his fists tightly as his voice wavered, "I didn't know what to do. He was the only thing I had left in my life, but it hurt so much to know that he was gone. A part of me was happy that he finally got to join his wife again, but a larger part of me wished he could just come back."

He sniffed, wiping the tear that fell from his eye, "People said 'You can't stop the hurting now, but time will make it better'. Time doesn't make anything better, it just helps you forget the loss little by little. But it'll come back. It always comes back. It hits you like a wave when you remember the smallest things about that person. It seizes your heart and caves in your chest until all you can do is remember the good times you had with that person, and how they're gone forever."

He took a shuddering breath, turning his red rimmed eyes to the other male, "Time doesn't heal anything. Being around people who love you does. Knowing that the person who left never really left as long as you remember them. As long as their memory is still on replay in your mind, they will always live with you."

He stood from the bed, wiping his nose with a shaking hand, "So I'm sorry for your loss, Ren, but your father wouldn't have wanted you to stop living your life just because he had to stop living his."

He moved towards the door before Ren's voice stopped him, "My father was sick since I started here at Beacon." Onyx tilted his head, his eyes silently telling the other male to continue. "He didn't tell me, but it slowly started to take over his body."

Ren exhaled harshly, his magenta eyes shining with unshed tears, "My mother wouldn't tell me, but Nora's dad told me instead." He licked his quivering lips, "I asked Jaune to choose that village, so I could see him and maybe help, but with the invasion of Grimm in Vale…"

"It was already too late," Onyx finished softly. Ren nodded vigorously before burying his head in his hands. The small shake of his shoulders showed the Grimm boy just how much the lotus was finally letting go.

He walked back over to Ren's bed, sitting next to him and wrapping his arm around his trembling shoulders, "It's hard, I know. Trust me, I know. But no matter how hard it is, you'll get through this, Ren. You will. You have your friends, your team, and most importantly, you have Nora."

He felt Ren stiffen under his arm. Red rimmed magenta eyes peeked up at him, "What are you-"

Onyx scoffed good heartedly, "Oh please. You may act all stoic, but Nora is the only one who can make you smile. We all know your feelings, you're just too slow to tell. Now come on." He stood from the bed, holding out his hand with a small smile, "Let's get started on that training. You have a tournament to win."

Ren snorted, shaking his head but taking the hand in front of him, "You flatter me, but I know you've seen the competition."

Onyx chuckled as they walked out of the room. When he finally glanced at Ren, he noticed his eyes were still heavy with the weight of his father's death, but he knew that with the love and happiness from his friends, that weight would just get a little bit lighter.

…

Training was a success. Everyone was able to work on their strengths and weaknesses and learn from each other. Though people such as Ruby, Nora, Jaune, Callie, and Weiss complained that it was a harsh workout, they did admit that it helped in the end.

"Okay, students. Today we will be seeing who will be participating in the Vytal Festival Tournament," Glynda announced to the class. "Whoever has signed up will be going against each other for a spot in the tournament. Those who win will be representing Vale. Understood?"

With the students confirming nod, Glynda went to her Scroll, "First match today; Yang Xiao Long vs. Mitchell Niehaus. Please come up to the arena."

Yang winked at her teammates before going up to the arena. Onyx felt bad for Niehaus. Though Niehaus was a third year, his weapons wouldn't really stand a chance against Yang's fists of flaming fury.

Oum, that was a mouth full.

The match was close, but Yang was able to scare Niehaus into giving up when she brought out her semblance. Everyone knew not to mess with Yang and her semblance. Niehaus wouldn't stop glaring at the blonde bombshell after.

"Next match; Pyrrha Nikos vs. Abel Lowe."

No contest. Pyrrha won in less than two minutes.

"Ruby Rose vs. Alice Tully."

Ruby's scythe was scary. Since Alice was trying so hard to dodge _Crescent Rose_ , she left herself open to so many attacks which Ruby took advantage of. The match was only 5 minutes long.

The whole day was full of matches that differed from being super long or very short. Ren won his, Nora beat her opponent quickly since no one wanted to go against the trigger happy girl with a large hammer. Weiss' match took a bit longer, but she was able to win without so much as a scratch on her. Blake took her opponent out in less than 3 minutes, and team CFVY won their matches easily. Team CRDL was a sight to see, but they did win their matches; albeit they were the longest and most boring matches in Onyx's opinion.

Jaune went against a 2nd year, and if that wasn't the most painful match Onyx had ever watched, he didn't know what was. He, along with his team, team R(W)BY, and (J)NPR, were wincing every time Jaune was smacked around by the burly 2nd year.

Onyx jiggling his leg anxiously, hoping Jaune would actually start to use his aura to fight back. He knew Jaune was just scared to fight; it was why he was losing so badly. The Grimm boy was starting to lose hope until he saw Jaune's dark blue eyes flashing red.

His heart seized painfully; surely Jaune wouldn't be that stupid to bring out the Grimm in himself just yet. Fortunately, with all his Grimm training, Jaune was able to muster up the strength and speed from the Grimm infection, and took his opponent down in less than a minute.

A glance around showed that everyone was impressed, but some looked suspicious. Onyx should've known; Jaune was technically the weakest one out of them when it came to strength, so the fact that he really could take out a 2nd year was beyond surprising. He really hoped no one questioned the Arc male on it.

"Onyx Lupin vs. Shax Luca."

Onyx blinked out of his thoughts when he heard Glynda call his name for the match. He stood up, feeling many of his friends pat his arm or leg as he walked past them and onto the stage.

He tightened _Stark_ onto his hands, exhaling anxiously as Glynda started the match. Shax was a 3rd year who had participated in the Vytal Festival Tournament before. Each time, he and some of his teammates lost. Onyx would've felt bad about beating him in the preliminary match, but he already had his chance.

Shax brought up his weapon, starting the first attack. Onyx used the air dust crystal, punching the floor to shoot himself in the air. He caught Shax's head with his calves. He spun around on him, dropping him to the floor.

He dodged another one of Shax's bullets and punched upwards, sending a large current of lightning from under Shax, electrocuting him harshly.

Shax panted raggedly, bringing up his weapon for another attack only for him to fall to the floor, unconscious.

"Match goes to Onyx Lupin," Glynda called as Shax's teammates came to get him. "Good job, Mr. Lupin."

Onyx gave a nod in thanks before going back to his friends. There were several matches that passed before Glynda dismissed everyone. Onyx rubbed his forearms as he walked out of class with his friends. He didn't know why, but his arms were hurting way more than usual, and it was always after a battle or spar. It made no sense.

"You okay?"

Onyx tensed at the familiar voice, glancing to the side to find Sun staring at him with hopeful grey eyes. He rolled his black eyes, ignoring the fluttering feeling in his stomach, "Fine."

Sun sighed heavily, throwing his hands up, "Come on, Bro. I'm sorry and I miss you. What more do you want me to say? You didn't even let me and Neptune join your guys' training."

"I don't need you to say anything," Onyx clenched his jaw tightly. "I don't need you to do anything because I know for a fact that you'll let me down. So no, you don't need to do or say anything because I don't care anymore."

"Bro," Sun tried, putting his hand on the other's shoulder.

Onyx stopped, flaring his nostrils as he tried to hold back his anger. "Fine," He said hotly. "You wanna know what you can do? The next time there's an attack, you have to do something. Don't just stand there with Neptune thinking you're cool. You're meant to save lives, so please just do it."

Sun nodded vigorously, "Yeah, yeah. Okay, I'll do it." He put on a small smile, "I am sorry, Bro. I'll do everything I can if there is a next time."

"I hope so," Onyx mumbled, finally walking away. Against his will, he felt his lips twitch up in what seemed to want to be a smile. Though he would never tell himself at the time, he was really glad Sun was trying to make an effort. Maybe the chance was still there.


	14. Family Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not everyone had someone coming to visit them for Family Day.

Chapter 14

_Take me to your best friend's house_  
_Roll around this roundabout_  
_Oh yeah_

…

Onyx fidgeted with his headphones nervously as he and the rest of the Beacon students stood at the landing dock for the airships. He had no idea what was going on, and apparently no one else knew either. The Vytal festival had officially started yesterday, but they weren't allowed to go until today. First, though, they were meant to go to the landing dock to wait for something.

He blinked out of his daydream when he saw the airships land in front of the students and staff. He straightened slowly, watching as the doors to each airship opened. Many people filed out, but he couldn't place a name to any face.

Shouts of 'Mom! Dad!' sounded around him as some students ran up to hug what he assumed was their parents.

He swallowed harshly when he realized why they were there; it was Family Day.

Rebekah gasped sharply before running off, "Daddy!" She jumped into the arms of a red haired man who caught her with a deep laugh.

"Daddy! Papa!" Callie squealed excitedly, rushing towards her fathers.

Lando smiled as he walked up to his family, "It's good to see you guys."

Family Day. Onyx had no family. His mother and father were killed when he was young, his grandmother passed away before he was born, and his grandfather was murdered a few months ago. There was no one else. They were all gone and he couldn't do anything to save them.

"Onyx!"

The Grimm boy jolted out of his reverie, moving his eyes up to find Rebekah waving to him. He wiped his eyes and put on a smile as he walked over to her.

Rebekah smiled as he made it over. She gestured to her friend, "Mom, Dad; this is Onyx Lupin. He's the leader of our team. Onyx," She turned to him, gesturing to her parents, "These are my parents; Jax and Mel Oswald."

The red haired man with the thick beard grinned, putting his hand on the younger male's shoulder, "It's nice to meet you, Onyx. Bekah has told us so much about you."

Onyx nodded slightly, his smile becoming a little more genuine, "It's nice to meet you too, Mr. Oswald. Rebekah is a great friend and partner. I couldn't have asked for a better one."

Jax bellowed a laugh, crushing his daughter in a bear hug, "I knew you had it in you, baby girl!"

The leader of the team tried not let the scene constrict his heart. It wasn't their fault he didn't have anyone to do that with him anymore. It wasn't their fault, so he shouldn't feel this way. But he was.

Mel smiled at the young man, "So, Onyx, where is your family?"

He stiffened while Rebekah tensed, "Uh Mom-"

"Captain!" Callie called over to them. They turned to find the eccentric girl waving her arms frantically, trying to get his attention.

The Grimm boy smiled, "Excuse me." He walked away quickly towards his other teammate. He chuckled at the salute Callie gave him, "Hey, Callie."

Callie grinned, dropping her hand, "Captain, I want you to meet my dads." She gestured to the men behind her who were beaming proudly, "Steven and Michael Kepner."

"It's very nice to meet you, sirs," Onyx replied, shaking the older males' hands. "Callie is a great teammate. She's very enthusiastic with her weapon, which at times can be a bit scary, but she knows how to take her enemy down."

Michael, the grey haired male, laughed amusedly, "I've seen just how enthusiastic she can be with her weapon. But I wasn't the one who taught her how to use it so greatly." He nudged his husband playfully.

"Stop," Steven, the dark haired male, pushed back just as happily. He smiled down at his daughter's leader, "Well, we're glad she has a team like you guys to look out for her. Monty knows what Callie can get up to. So thank you."

Onyx gave a nod, glancing over at Lando who was waving him over. He excused himself and went over to his Faunus teammate. He wheezed in the bear hug that his male teammate suddenly gave him, "Okay, easy Lando." He coughed when his friend set him back on the ground.

Lando smiled sheepishly, "Sorry, Captain. I was just a little excited." He then beamed brightly, turning to the three behind him, "This is my family; my dad Mitchell, my mom Catherine, and my little sister Stacy."

Mitchell Wagner had dark hair with ram horns sticking out from the locks. Catherine was blonde with tiger ears on her head. Stacy was the same as her mother; she even had the bright eyes Lando had as well.

"You're a captain?" Stacy gasped excitedly, her hands clasped together and her tiny feet pattering quickly on the ground. "What do you do?"

Onyx had to smile at cute scene in front of him, "Nothing really. The headmaster just thought I was good enough to lead my team to helping a peaceful world. There are many other leaders just like me on other teams as well."

Lando patted his shoulder, "But Onyx is one of a kind. Just like you, Stacy." He took his small sister into his arms, smiling at her giggles.

The Grimm boy gazed at the scene with a smile. He yelped suddenly when he felt two arms wrap around his waist, hauling him away from Lando and his family. When he was set on his feet, his eyes widened at the large man in front of him.

The man had orange hair and a graying beard, but his blue eyes showed his youthfulness brightly. It almost felt like staring into-

"Buddy!" Nora exclaimed happily, glomping on Onyx's back. "This is my dad Otis. Daddy, this is Onyx; my pancake buddy."

Otis laughed heartedly, the sides of his eyes crinkling as his eyes twinkled, "It's nice to meet you, Onyx. I don't think I've ever met anyone who could match Nora's appetite for pancakes."

"What can I say?" Onyx shrugged a bit nervously. "I'm a growing boy."

After that introduction, Ren introduced his mother Lie Ming to the Grimm boy as well. The woman was a bit older than most mothers he had seen so far. Her hair had a few grey streaks, but her magenta eyes were just as kind as her son's.

Pyrrha kindly introduced her parents, Apollo and Thea Nikos, as well as her grandmother, Hera Nikos to him. Apollo, like Rebekah's father, was muscular, not all that tall, and had dark red hair and gold eyes that were a bit calculating, especially on Jaune. Thea had soft green eyes and long flowing blonde hair. Hera had all white hair, but her gold eyes were just as scary as Apollo's.

Jaune brought him to his family and introduced his parents; John and Jacqueline Arc, before rattling off his sisters' names from oldest to youngest; Joanna, Jennifer, Jessica, Jill, Joy, Julia, and Jamie Arc. All sisters were blonde, tall, and some were slightly muscular. John Arc was about the same height as Lando, his beard was just as grey as Otis', and his eyes were just as open as Jaune's. Jacqueline had the smile Onyx always imagined his mother having. Her eyes were just as blue as her daughters' and her hair was a nice golden brown.

Yang caught him next, shoving his head into her bosom while introducing him to her and Ruby's father, Taiyang Xiao Long and their uncle Qrow Branwen. Onyx shivered at the glare the two men gave him. He then backed away from Yang fearfully, not wanting to incur the wrath of the men who raised the strongest brawler and the youngest huntress in Beacon.

Blake introduced her parents, Cole and Kira Belladonna to him. Cole was a tall, muscular man who had black tail while Kira had black ears on her head, same as her daughter. Blake took more after her father in the stoic persona area while her mother was more open, but still as cautious as any Faunus around humans who could easily look at them in disgust.

Onyx only caught a sight of Weiss, her father Whittaker, and her sister Winter before they made their way inside abruptly. He guessed not everyone was excited for Family Day. He wasn't going to judge.

He wasn't fond of today either.

Once everyone had met their families, the teachers let them roam around Vale. They would have a few hours before the parade started. From there, it was the first round of the tournament.

Onyx told his team he had to take care of something and excused himself. He walked over the familiar hill that led to his grandfather's shop. The sign on the door said closed, and he knew it was permanent.

With a lump in his throat, he walked the few yards from the shop and found the graves for his family. He exhaled shakily and sat down before them. He closed his eyes against the tears that had swelled and tried to remember the times he had with parents and grandfather.

It was hard at first, but then he got the image of his mother's soft smile, his father's twinkling grey eyes, and his grandfather's rough grin. Unfortunately, it just made holding his tears back that much harder.

"So the gang's all here?" A familiar voice spoke from behind him.

The Grimm boy sniffled, wiping his nose before he turned around. He was met with Sun's sympathetic gaze. He huffed an incredulous laugh, "I guess you could say that."

Sun sat down beside him, reading off the names on the graves, "Warner Lupin, Amelia Lupin, Grace Lupin, and Eastmund Lupin." He turned to his friend, his lips curved downwards, "It finally got to you, huh?"

"Yeah," Onyx whispered, fidgeting with his fingers. "I always know that they're gone, but sometimes it just really hits that there's no one else. There's no one I'm going home to anymore."

Sun nodded understandingly as he turned back to the graves. He sighed, putting his hands behind his head, "I feel ya. I lost my parents when I was 4." He nodded once more when Onyx turned to him with a surprised gaze, "Yeah, they died after some riot against the White Fang and humans. I lived in on the streets for some time after that. I made my living diving into dumpsters and pick-pocketing people. It was the only thing I knew how to do."

Onyx licked his dry lips, his heart constricting painfully for his friend, "I'm sorry you had to go through that."

"I'm over it," Sun shrugged. "I mean, I go to Haven Academy, I'm the leader of my team, and I got awesome friends." He grinned at the male next to him though his eyes were soft, "I'm living the life. Sure, I'd like to have someone to come home to, but I guess it's just time to make our own home, right?"

He held out his fist. Onyx blinked at him for a moment as his sentence finally settled over him. The Grimm boy beamed brightly, his heart fluttering in his chest as he bumped fists with the Faunus, "I guess it is time."

With that promised, the two spent the next few hours talking about their childhoods and all the things they had gotten up to as rascals. Sun's stories were much more animated than Onyx's.

Yes, it hit them at times that the two didn't have families to go home to. They didn't have anyone that shared the same blood. No one to say goodbye to them when they went off to Beacon for another year. There was just them and that was it.

It was hard to deal with, but they dealt with it every day. It was taxing on their health, but they persevered. And now, in all the darkness that tried to consume them, they had each other, and they were going to make their own family out of friendship and love because that's what really mattered.


	15. The Vytal Festival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the festival starting, everyone is allowed a little down time.

Chapter 15  
_They said all teenagers care the living shit out of me_  
_They could care less as long as someone’ll bleed_  
_So darken your clothes or strike a violent pose_  
_Maybe they’ll leave you alone, but not me_  
…  
The Vytal Festival parade was something to see. Onyx had never really seen it before; he had never even gone to the festival, only his grandfather had. He never went for he was too scared what might happen being in that type of atmosphere; the excitement would be too much for him. 

Now, the excitement and happiness was just making his day.

“You’re grinning really widely,” Jaune stated as they walked with the other participants from Vale. “It’s starting to creep me a bit.”

Onyx rolled his eyes, but the enormous grin on his face didn’t diminish in the slightest, “What? It’s just a good day.” Though it had started bad with the whole reminder that he had no more family left for him, it had been brightened when Sun basically told him he wanted to be in a relationship with him and make a home together; something he had wanted with the Faunus for the last few months. He had thought Sun wanted to be with Blake or Neptune, but to find out he wanted to be with him just made this whole day worthwhile.

The grin on his face wasn’t going away anytime soon.

“If you say so,” His friend mumbled good naturedly. His lips tugged down a bit morosely, “I am sorry about this whole…thing Beacon did today, Onyx.”

“You don’t have to apologize. It’s not like it’s your fault,” Onyx replied, patting his back reassuringly. “Besides, you guys are my family now. And I think…” He glanced behind him to the Mistral participants, and found Sun conversing animatedly with Neptune. He felt his grin widen, if possible, “I think my family is just going to get bigger.”

Jaune followed his gaze. He laughed boisterously, grabbing the other male by his shoulders, “No way! You confessed?”

“No,” Onyx shook his head, trying to keep up with everyone else in the parade. “He did. He told me he wanted to make a home with me.” His grin softened into a smile, “I never thought I’d hear anyone say that to me.”

“I’m happy for you, man,” Jaune grinned, punching his shoulder lightly. “You deserve it.” He exhaled, putting his hands in his pockets, “I’m just wondering when someone will want to make a home with me.”

He really couldn’t be that oblivious, could he? Onyx rolled his eyes in a bit of annoyance, “Really, Jaune? Are you that-” He was cut off when he realized Jaune was no longer looking at him, and instead found the blonde’s gaze on Pyrrha who was listening to Nora’s loud tall tale.

The Grimm male chuckled, patting Jaune’s shoulder, “Well, maybe you should make the first move.”

Jaune snorted, “What, like you?”

The darker haired male scoffed in mock offense as he punched Jaune’s arm. Jaune retaliated by punching right back. The two then ensued in a smacking contest before the blond male called mercy.

Luckily, the parade was over after their little play fight and they began to walk around for the games the festival had. Nora was smashing a sponge hammer on a bunch of Ursai while Ren was advising her to slow down so she wouldn’t break the thing.

Ruby was zipping around excitedly while Weiss was shaking her in amusement at her partner’s antics. Pyrrha came up and took Jaune’s arm, steering him towards another game booth. Yang was already at a booth, beating every person who came up to it and taking every toy the person who manned the booth had. Blake was having a nice time staring at everything in a bit of awe.

“Onyx! Onyx!” Rebekah shouted as she ran up to him with the rest of their teammates. She grinned widely when she caught up to him and grabbed his arm, “You’ll never believe who they got for the concert right now.”

Onyx furrowed his brow confusedly, “Uh…who?”

“My Alchemical Romance!” Callie exclaimed loudly.  


The Grimm male felt his hair being ruffled by the sudden burst of air next to him. He glanced down at Ruby who was bouncing on her feet. “Are you serious?” The red hooded girl squealed excitedly. “I love that band.”

Onyx grinned at his partner, “Where are they?”

“In the center of Vale,” Lando smiled. “They just got on stage. If you get there now, you’ll make it in time to see their first so-”

He was interrupted by two bursts of air and found the two black and red leaders gone from his sight. He shrugged at his partners, “I guess they really are excited.”

Both Ruby and Onyx made it to the front of the stage where their favorite band was playing. It was fortunate for the two that not many people had found out about the band and not many were fans of their music. It didn’t matter to them; that just gave them more room to move around.

The two were clutching each other in anticipation when the guitar riff came on followed by the singer, “ _They gonna clean up your looks with all the lies in the books to make a citizen out of you. Because they sleep with a gun and keep an eye on you, son, so they can watch all the things you do._ ”

Onyx and Ruby cheered when they realized what song they were playing. While Onyx liked many of their songs, this was one of his favorites. Ruby liked everything about it from the tune to the lyrics.  


“ _Because the drugs never work, they’re gonna give you a smirk ‘cause they got methods of keeping you clean. They’re gonna rip up your heads, your aspirations to shreds. Another cog in the murder machine._ ”

More people gathered around and began jumping to the tune with the leading man of the band, “ _They said all teenagers scare the living shit out of me. They could care less as long as someone’ll bleed. So darken your clothes or strike a violent pose. Maybe they’ll leave you alone but not me._ ”

The leading man slowed a bit as he went into the next verse, “ _The boys and girls in the clique, the awful names that they stick. You’re never gonna fit in much, kid. But if you’re trouble and hurt, what you got under your shirt will make them pay for the things that they did._ ”

Ruby climbed onto Onyx’s shoulders as the two began pumping their fists, “ _They said all teenagers scare the living shit out of me. They could care less as long as someone’ll bleed. So darken your clothes or strike a violent pose. Maybe they’ll leave you alone but not me. Ohhh, yeah!_ ”

The guitar solo came up. Some students began a small mosh pit, pushing and shoving but with a good, playful nature. As the chorus came up again, the crowd began singing with the leading man, “ _They said all teenagers scare the living shit out of me. They could care less as long as someone’ll bleed. So darken your clothes or strike a violent pose. Maybe they’ll leave you alone, but not me._

“ _All together now! Teenagers scare the living shit out of me. They could care less as long as someone’ll bleed. So darken your clothes or strike a violent pose. Maybe they’ll leave you alone but not me. ___

“ _Teenagers scare the living shit out of me. They could care less as long as someone’ll bleed. So darken your clothes or strike a violent pose. Maybe they’ll leave you alone but not me,_ ” The band ended, a smile coming on their lips when the crowd cheered them on loudly.

Ruby and Onyx grinned widely, high fiving each other. Their scrolls then beeped, alerting them of a new message. Onyx let Ruby down from his shoulders as they both opened the message. 

It was time for the tournament to start. 


	16. Tournament

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time for the main course.

Chapter 16

 _You got blood on your face_  
_Looks like you’re a total disgrace_  
_You came here to take me down_  
_But I only see one of us on the ground_  
…

It didn’t take long for all the combatants for the 4 schools to get to where the actual tournament was being held. They had all drawn numbers before standing in line next to their fellow classmates while they made the line up for the matches.

Onyx gazed around from his spot in the Beacon line up next to Pyrrha and Ren. He could see the Atlas students standing stiffly on their side, the Vacuo students buzzing with excitement, and the Haven students either chatting or boredly waiting for the announcer to start the tournament. 

He breathed anxiously, his hands clutching each other tightly behind his back. He gave a small smile to his teammates to the stand. While he was confident that he was going to make it past round one, he wondered who he was going to have to beat to get that spot. Really, as long as it wasn’t Sun, Scarlet, or Sage, he didn’t care.

It wasn’t that he didn’t like Neptune, it was just that if he fought the blunet, he wouldn’t be afraid to hold back. Monty knew the boy only had one trick up his sleeve, and any other tactic he had was just being an idiot and not fighting. Luckily Sun wasn’t like that anymore.

“Are you alright?” Ren whispered next to him as he too gazed at the competition with a slightly nervous Pyrrha. Everyone knew the girl had nothing to worry about. She had won tournaments before, and the competition didn’t seem nearly as good as her.

Onyx scratched his arm and gave the lotus a nod, “I’m fine; just a bit nervous. It’s one thing to finally go to school with people your own age. It’s another when you’re fighting in front of millions of people from every kingdom and village.”

“It is a bit nerve wracking,” Pyrrha chuckled lightly. “When I was in the Mistral tournaments, it was only people from Mistral and others who could afford tickets to the tournaments. It got better after the first one.”

“I could only assume.”

The Grimm male winced when the crackle of a microphone came on the speakers and assaulted his ears. “ _Hello, everybody. It’s nice to see so many people here to watch the fight between some of the best up and coming hunters. I’m one of your announcers; Bill Bush,_ ” A man from one of the highest points in the stadium spoke animatedly.

“ _And I’m Cal McPherson,_ ” The other announcer grinned widely. “ _It’s great to be here, Billy._ ”

Bill laughed, “ _It sure is, Cal. Now, ladies and gentlemen, today is the day you’ve all been waiting for; the Vytal Festival. You’ve seen the parades, you’ve been to the dances, and now we finally get to see the tournament where some of the students from Vacuo, Atlas, Vale, and Mistral show us what they’re all about. What do you say about starting this thing, Cal?_ ”

“ _I say…_ ” Cal pumped his fists excitedly. “ _Let’s do it, Billy!_ ”

The people in the crowds cheered as the students were escorted to a waiting room. Luckily, it was big enough to hold all of the participating students. Apparently, this year had the most hunters competing.

“Hey, Bro!” 

Onyx felt his heart lift and his lips turn upwards into a wide grin when he saw Sun running towards him. Sun grinned back when he stopped in front of him. The two locked eyes, obsidian hitting dark gray. It was almost as if everything else had fallen away.

“Um…” The darker haired male licked his lips, raising his eyebrows expectantly at the blond when a moment of silence had passed. “Was there something you needed to tell me?”

Sun blinked before letting out a laugh, “Oh, right.” He cleared his throat a bit nervously as he reached into his pocket. He held out a necklace for him. It was a thick, black string holding a red stone. The Faunus scratched the back of his head nervously with his free hand, “I-uh, I got this for you. I just thought that it-it would be nice gift, you know?”

Onyx smiled at the endearing blond, “I know, Bro. It’s really nice.” He took the necklace that was offered before putting it on. The stone fell right above his heart, sending a warm, tingling feeling through him. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Sun replied quietly, keeping his eyes locked on the soft glint in Onyx’s eyes.

The Grimm male was knocked out of the gaze when the announcer Bill came on the speakers once more, “ _Alright-y folks, it’s time to start this tournament. Now in the first round, no students from the same school will be fighting each other. Unfortunately, the rest of the tournament might have you going against your own friends._ ”

“ _That’s hard, Bushy,_ ” Cal stated with sympathy.

“ _It sure is, Cal,_ ” Bill replied. “ _Now for the first round of this tournament, we have 2nd year Velvet Scarlatina from Beacon Academy vs. 3rd year Crystal Heinz from Haven Academy._ ”

Cal clapped with a grin, “ _Let’s see what these girls got._ ”

Onyx offered Velvet a smile and thumbs up as she walked passed them. She gave a tremulous smile to everyone as she walked out with her opponent. Though Velvet was a shy girl, she was a very capable fighter. Onyx himself had seen her during the Grimm invasion and she kicked butt without even using her weapon.

The students of Beacon, mostly the 1st and 2nd years that were familiar with the bunny Faunus, all went to the door and window openings to watch the match. The students from Haven tried to squeeze in as much as they could to watch their fellow classmate.

Once the match started, all the fellow hunters and huntresses could do was cheer for the fighter they wanted to win. Onyx was clapping his hands along and shouting words of encouragement for Velvet along with his friends.

Though the round was a bit longer than some expected, Velvet was the one who came out the victor. It was incredible, and she didn’t even use her weapon for its true purpose which left Onyx a little irked; he had wanted to see what was inside.

Velvet was glowing when she got back to the waiting room while Crystal had to gather her stuff and go to the stands with the non-participants. The bunny Faunus threw herself at her teammates who were just as ecstatic as her.

Onyx glanced away but kept his smile when he saw Velvet lean in to kiss Coco happily. He wondered if he could get a victory kiss or if there would be anymore between his friends. He knew a lot of them had feelings they hadn’t discussed, but anything could happen in the heat of the moment.

The next few rounds flew by, most with people he didn’t know and some he did know from higher grades from Beacon. Like he had guessed, most of the older students won against the younger. Seasoned students knew way more moves than the newbies. He felt a bit bad for the first years, but he knew he and his friends weren’t going down that easily.

Weiss went against a 2nd year from Atlas, and while that match took a bit of a while, the heiress came out on top albeit a bit exhausted.

Pyrrha went up against a 3rd year from Haven, one she had known from her time in Mistral, but she had taken him down in 10 minutes. They parted with polite smiles and a handshake.

Nora had gone against a 2nd year from Vacuo and won after a few well placed hits with Magnhild. She also got to hit her opponent with a grenade filled with pink paint, and that was a sight to see on the older hunter.

Yang, like Pyrrha, also went against a 3rd year from Haven, and boy did she have a field day with that. Many flinches and winces of sympathy came from the participants and the audience, and it was a wonder how that girl stood the attacks from the blonde bombshell.

Sighs of relief were heard when she finally forfeited.

Ren had been pitted against a 1st year from Vacuo and came out without so much as a scratch on him. It was amazing to see how well the lotus could fight against someone who was close to being on par with him.

Blake had gone against a 1st year from Haven and wiped the floor with them. Really, she used her black ribbon to wrap around her opponent’s ankles and dragged them across the floor of the stage. It was a bit humiliating for the kid, but hey, he shouldn’t have been leering at her like that.

Jaune had gone against a 1st year from Atlas and won in under an hour. Luckily, he remembered all of his training with Pyrrha and Onyx, a champion and a Grimm, and was able to overthrow his opponent right off the stage.

Ruby went against a 2nd year from Vacuo and won. Her technique consisted of using Crescent Rose for all she was worth, and in the end, she beat the kid in less than 20 minutes. Seeing her bright, beaming face after the whole audience cheered for her win really warmed Onyx’s heart.

Seeing the rest of team CFVY fight was almost better than going to the movies. Onyx was amazed at how Coco, Fox, and Yatsuhashi fought and how well they could control their attacks. He had seen them tear Grimm to shreds so he knew they weren’t using their weapons to their full potential.

Only Cardin and Russel made it to the second round out of team CRDL. Sky and Dove had gotten a bit injured in the first round and forfeited. Sky had gone against a 2nd year and Dove a 3rd year, both from Atlas.

Scarlet, Sage, and Sun went against the last remaining Beacon 1st years, not counting Onyx himself, and won. It was quite a show to see Scarlet and Sage in action. Onyx always wondered where they were during the Grimm invasion, and any other time Sun and Neptune showed up.

The Grimm male watched as the announcers were looking over the list of matches. His leg had been jiggling for hours, wondering when his match was going to start. All of his friends had already gone and were getting ready for their next match. He was waiting on pins and needles to hear his name from the announcers’ mouths.

And like they said; good things come to those who wait.

“ _Alright, hunters and huntresses, we have another match coming to ya,_ ” Bill spoke, his voice still filled with joy. He wondered how anyone could be filled with joy having to see so many matches and sit through them all day. “ _Our next hunter is a 1st year at Beacon Academy. He is hailed as one of the strongest fighters of his year. Let’s hear it for Onyx Lupin!_ ”

Onyx exhaled deeply, his shoulders sagging when he finally heard his name. That took a while, but he finally got to hear his name on the speakers. He smiled when he heard cheers from the audience and from inside the waiting room.

Bill came back on once the cheers died down, “ _He is fighting against a 1st year hunter from Haven Academy. Put your hands together for Neptune Vasilias!_ ”

While the crowd cheered again, some of Onyx’s friends were glancing anxiously between the Grimm male and the blunet who stared at each other in a bit of shock. Though Onyx had no qualms going against him, he didn’t want Sun resenting him for not letting his best friend get to the second round of the tournament.

The two gave each other a nod and walked out onto the tournament stage. Onyx tightened his gloves and made sure for the 10th time that his bracelets were fully stocked for Dust. Neptune put his goggles over his eyes and made sure they were on tightly before bringing out his weapon, letting it transition to its active form.

The two held each other’s gaze, waiting tensely for the match to start. Onyx was already looking for openings in the blunet’s stance, and was about to calculate his moves when the bell rang loudly in his ears, signaling the start of the match.

Onyx punched the ground, using air dust to propel him into the air and dodged the bullets Neptune shot at him. He flipped in midair and landed behind the blunet. He ducked under Neptune’s weapon which he had transformed into its guandao form.

He threw balls of fire at the other male who spun the staff to ward off the flames. Onyx shot off another ball of fire before sprinting up behind Neptune. He planted his foot on the other male’s arm and jumped into the air once more before delivering a solid blow to the back of Neptune’s head.

Neptune stumbled from the hit and was ready to right himself, only to hit the ground face first when the Grimm male jumped up and slammed his feet into his back.

Onyx jumped back onto his feet quickly, readying his fists for when the blunet would get up. When Neptune flipped into the air, he quickly froze the ground. Neptune cursed as he slipped onto his knees and struggled to stand.

He barely got to stab his trident into the ice when Onyx punched him in the gut, his hand crackling with the lightning dust around it. He yelped painfully at the assault on him, gripping his weapon tightly so as to not fall unconscious.

“Give up?” Onyx questioned as he glared down at him. “Really, Neptune. I don’t want to hurt you.”

Neptune panted harshly, “We’re just barely getting started.” He pushed himself up quickly only to have the Grimm male kick out his knee, punch him in the gut again before slamming his fist into his face. He fell back to the ground, cradling his bleeding nose.

Onyx shook his head grimly, “I know we just started, but that doesn’t mean you’ll last long. I’ve fought worse than you, Neptune. I won’t hesitate to beat you.”

“You won’t,” Neptune groaned out, trying to lift himself up again.

“If that’s what you think,” The darker male sighed lowly with a frown. “Then let me end this.”

He charged lightning dust into _Stark_. Once the electricity was crackling fiercely, he shot his fist into the air, sending the electricity to Neptune. The blunet cried out with intense pain when his body jolted with the lightning racing through him.

When the light died down, Neptune slumped to the ground, his body still jolting slightly from the remnants of the electricity. Onyx exhaled harshly, putting his hands on his knees.

The crowd roared loudly with cheers. Bill’s voice came on as he laughed into the mic, “ _Well that was a sight to see. In less than 10 minutes, Mr. Onyx Lupin took out Mr. Neptune Vasilias with a move I’ve never seen before._ ”

“ _Those were some pretty lights, Bushy,_ ” Cal grinned as he chewed a wad of gum.

Bill nodded in agreement, “ _I’ll say, Cal. Mr. Lupin, the obvious winner of the match, goes on to the next round. Mr. Vasilias, unfortunately, will go back to the audience with the rest of the unlucky participants._ ”

Onyx made his way back to the waiting room while a few paramedics helped Neptune off the stage. He was met with cheers and pats on the back from his friends, but he wouldn’t let his gaze stray towards Sun. Though Sun may have feelings for him, he didn’t know what to expect after he beat his friend to a pulp.

Many rounds went on after that, but Onyx wasn’t really paying attention. He was too busy dreading what Sun would say to him when they were alone. He prayed the blond Faunus wouldn’t take back the promise he had made earlier that day. He didn’t think his heart would take it if he did.

Finally, the matches had ended and it was well into the afternoon. Onyx was busy checking over _Stark_ when he heard Bill Bush come back on the speakers, “ _And finally, we finished our 1st rounds. Let’s give a round of applause to the hard workers today._ ”

The crowd clapped and cheered happily for the fighters still in the tournament and the contestants that lost. “ _That’s real nice,_ ” Cal sighed lightly.

“ _Now, as we go onto the 2nd round, many participants will most likely be going against their classmates. It’s very unfortunate, but-_ ”

“ _Whoa, Bush, what the hell is going on down there?_ ” Cal questioned, his voice panicked. The question drew everyone’s attention for they had gone to look outside to see all the Atlesian Knight-200s coming onto the stage.

Bill mumbled into the mic, “ _Well, uh…I have no idea…_ ”

Suddenly, the robots pulled their weapons out and aimed it at the audience causing some screams from the frightened attendees. Their voices came out in unison, “ _Initiating Phase 3. Engage._ ”  


“Oh no…” Onyx whispered in fright, his eyes widening when he heard the cogs in their guns click into place. He inhaled sharply before shouting loudly, “EVERYONE GET DOWN!”

“ _Fire!_ ”

The robots fired at the audience, but luckily, they took heed on Onyx’s shout and scattered, though they tripped and stumbled as they tried to run away. The robots then turned their sights on the participants in the waiting room, but the hunters and huntresses were at the ready.

Onyx pushed his way out, throwing a fireball at the robot knights. The rest of them charged out, attacking the artificial lives head on. The Grimm male was surprised when he saw three arrows imbed in three separate knights. He grinned when Rebekah landed next to him with Lando and Callie.

He glanced at them, giving his teammates a small nod which they returned firmly. The four then shot off, hitting any robot they could just like their friends and classmates. The rest of the teams, especially team CFVY with Coco’s machine gun, were able to overcome the robotic knights, but it didn’t stop from them from coming on all sides.

Onyx cursed when he realized that the whole festival was heavily guarded with the stupid Atlesian Knights. There was still going to be more coming. What the hell had set these things off? Ironwood said these were the most high tech robots invented. Next to Penny, he assumed.

He shoved his fist into a robot, destroying it. He kicked it away and sent bursts of air towards incoming ones. His eyes darted around the area, trying to find one of his friends to figure out a plan to eliminate more of these robots.

He flinched when something whizzed past his ear and headed towards Jaune. Before he could open his mouth to warn the blond knight, his body was suddenly assaulted with bolts of electricity rushing through his system.

He slumped to the ground limply, his eyes still on Jaune who had also gotten the same treatment. His eyes closed just as he heard screams for some of the other leaders.


	17. The Reveal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was right in front of his eyes and he didn't even know.

Chapter 17

_You can’t have my life._  
_I’m not your sacrifice._  
_You can try, but I’m free,_  
_And you won’t conquer me._

_I won’t crawl,_  
_Most of all,_  
_I won’t fall,_  
_For You_  
…  
_“Onyx, wake up.”_

_“Grandpa, where am I?”_

_“It’s okay, Onyx. Just come with me. Everything’s gonna be okay.”_

On days where Onyx had little to no sleep, he woke up groggy. Other than that, he was always alert at any time of the night or day. It was why he slept with headphones on; so he could have a small shred of normalcy. He had been knocked out before, but he was always ready to jump back up on the spot. It was what his training demanded of him, and the Grimm inside him would never let him be anything less.

But as he tried to bring himself to consciousness, he could feel his senses coming back to him slowly. First his sense of smell then his hearing. He was in some kind of lair, and his arms and legs were chained to a chair; that much he knew before he groggily opened his eyes.

What had he been hit with?

When his sight finally came back to him, he was staring right at 4 members of the White Fang. He stiffened in the seat, barely registering the metal cuffs digging into his wrists, as he growled at the criminals.  


He gripped the arms of the seats, feeling the Grimm inside him roar, wishing to be let loose. He was about to let it when a familiar scent invaded the room; a scent that had haunted him since the night of the dance.

“Make room.” The scent belonged to none other than Cinder, the woman who had looked at him as if she knew him, and read him so easily from one encounter that left him a bit breathless.

The Grimm quieted in his chest, leaving a caving feeling that left him unable to breathe, “W-What…?” A bead of sweat ran down his temple.

Cinder smirked as she stepped up to where he was chained, “You boys can leave us now.” She sent a sharp look to the White Fang members which sent them scurrying out of the room. She twirled her hair with her finger, staring down at the Beacon student coyly, “Now where were we?”

“You…” Onyx exhaled shakily, his trembling hands still gripping the arm rests as he tried to calm his racing heart. “You work for the White Fang? Why?”

Cinder scoffed, “Work for them? Please, I thought you were smarter than that, Onyx.” She put her finger under the dark haired male’s chin, “Like I would do anything like that. They work for me.”

Realization swept through Onyx as his eyes widened, “You did all of this?” He clenched his jaw tightly, paying no attention to the sweat coming down his face and neck indicating his anxiety, “The Atlesian Knights attacking the audience? The Grimm in Vale? The attack at the CCT Tower? The fight at the docks? That was all you?”

“Well,” Cinder sighed airily, flipping her hair. “I have to give some credit to that idiot Torchwick and the incompetent White Fang. They helped me start Phase 2 and 3 with all the dust they stole. It was all needed for the next phases of my plan.”

Onyx swallowed dryly, “And my grandfather? What phase was his death a part of?”

Cinder shook her head with a condescending smile, “He was snooping where he shouldn’t have been. Really, Onyx; it wasn’t personal.”

The Grimm male glared balefully at her under his sweat soaked bangs. After all these months of mourning and searching for answers, he had danced with his grandfather’s murderer. She had pressed the button; she was responsible and she would die by his hands and no one else’s.

His attention was diverted when he heard a familiar voice crying and pleading for help. He squinted his eyes, trying to focus on it. It sounded like Ruby telling someone to stop hurting…Jaune? What were they doing here? 

The last thing he remembered was getting electrocuted and seeing Jaune get hit as well before he blacked out. Did they really bring Jaune and Ruby here? What was their reason? And why was it only the leaders?  


“What are you planning?”

Cinder shook her head with smirk, “I’m not falling for that stupid scheme. Do you really think I’m going to tell you my plans and then have someone come in and save the day?” She chuckled sardonically, “I’m not stupid, Onyx.”

She ran a hand through her hair as she gave him a haughty smile, “I will tell you that without you so called leaders, it will be much easier taking down your teams. With you, Miss Rose, Mr. Arc, and Mr. Wukong here, it’s only a matter of time before your friends fall at the hands of the White Fang.”

Onyx seized, his wrists cracking under than cuffs on them as he tried to lunge at her. They must’ve been torturing Jaune in there. The boy couldn’t fight, but he had a heart of gold that was willing to die for his friends. He couldn’t let that happen.

“Why am I the only one here?” He questioned through gritted teeth. “Why isn’t Jaune in here? Or more importantly, why isn’t Ruby in here? She’s the one who’s thwarted your plans more than once.”

“I’ll give it to her; that little girl knows how to follow a lead,” Cinder stated with a shake of her head. She stepped up to Onyx, putting her hand on his knee, “You’re here because I could use you to defeat the White Fang if they get too feisty. Mercury told me how strong you are, and I saw your fight in the tournament. Work for me, and you’ll get to take out your grandfather’s killers. Fight me, and you’ll die. Your choice.”

Onyx clenched his jaw tightly, a humorous grin stretching across his lips, “You really think you can order me around? You think I’ll work for you?” He closed his eyes, letting the Grimm in him roar loudly, “I swore I’d kill you and your subordinates. If you think you can kill me, you’ve got another thing coming.”

He opened his eyes, displaying his Grimm red irises just as his fingers broke and reformed and his canines grew longer, “You can’t cage a beast.”

He threw his head back, letting off a loud, harsh roar. In the other room, Jaune, who was bruised, beaten, and chained, snapped his eyes open when he heard his Alpha’s roar. His eyes turned red as his strength and will came back to him full force.

The blond ripped the chains off the wall as his fingers broke and reformed and his canines elongated. He growled at the White Fang members who now backed away in fear. He roared before lunging at them, leaving Sun and Ruby to watch in shock.

When Onyx’s roar died down, he glared at the astonished mastermind in front of him. Cinder barely blinked before her abdomen flared in agony. She put her hand to the gash that now adorned her red dress.

She was then thrown through the wall harshly. She coughed at the dust around her before inhaling sharply, trying to get air back in her lungs. She brought her gaze up to the hole in the wall to find Onyx standing there, his eyes Grimm red and a sharp bone in the shape of a blade sticking out of his forearms.

How had they overlooked that?


	18. The Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enemies are crowding. Take your pick and fight for your life.

Chapter 18

 _I may fall,_  
 _But not like this, it won’t be by your hand._  
 _I may fall,_  
 _Not this place, not today._  
 _I may fall;_  
 _Bring it all it’s not enough to take me down._  
…  
Onyx huffed heavily, his chest heaving and his fingers tensing as he stared down at Cinder’s fallen form. He reared his head back and let out a harsh roar, alerting the others in the building. He growled viciously at the White Fang members who pointed their weapons at him. He turned his head slowly, his piercing red eyes on Emerald, Mercury, and the former prisoner Roman Torchwick. 

“Holy…” Roman chuckled in disbelief as he stood next to Cinder. “So this was the Beowolf at the docks.”

“You’ve met him before?” Mercury questioned, his feet steady on the ground in case he had to fight the kid.

Roman nodded with a smirk, “He’s the reason I had the whole ‘Grimm in Vale’ idea.” He tipped his hat to Onyx, “Thanks for that, kid.” He flinched when Onyx growled even more hostilely.

Cinder glared at the Grimm male in front of her as Emerald helped her stand up, “I wish you would’ve told me about this. I wouldn’t have put him in the same room with me if I knew he had harsh anger issues.”

Emerald glanced around quickly, “Wait, if the White Fang members are here, who’s watching the other guys?”

They all flinched when a higher pitched roar echoed through the room. They turned to find Jaune jumping from wall to wall before jumping over them and landing next to Onyx. The darker haired male huffed once more before his eyes turned back to their original color and the bones in his forearm retreated back into his skin. Jaune shook his head, calming his breathing to bring his red eyes back to their natural blue. 

They all snapped their gazes to the sky when an airship appeared overhead. “YANG!” Ruby shouted in relief as she and Sun ran into the area with _Crescent Rose_ open and at the ready. Sun had his staff held tightly in his hands.

The orange haired criminal groaned irritably, facepalming, “This is why we don’t let the animals do the hard work.” He glared at the sheepish White Fang members, “Why did you all leave the room?”

Silence was heard for a beat before one of them coughed, “The blond was kinda scary.”

“Oh Monty,” Roman mumbled pitifully.

Team (R)WBY, (J)NPR, (O)RCL, (S)SSN, and CFVY jumped from the airship causing the criminals and Cinder’s gang to step back from the descending students. Ruby ran up to her teammates, throwing her arms around them while they practically sagged with relief in having their young leader back.

Yang smirked after she pulled away from Ruby. She slammed her fists together as she glared at the criminals, “So, who gets to go first?”

“I get Torchwick,” Blake stated as she brought out _Gambol Shroud_. She gazed coldly at the amused man.

Weiss brought out _Myrtenaster_ , settling on her trademark ice dust, “I’ll get the green haired girl.”

Yang winked at Mercury, “I guess that leaves me with you, Black.” Mercury shrugged uselessly at that.

“I guess that mean I’m fighting her,” Ruby mumbled, staring at Cinder who she now knew was the woman she had fought the night with Glynda and the night at the CCT tower.

Pyrrha ran up to her leader, putting her hand to his cheek worriedly, “Are you alright, Jaune?”

Jaune nodded firmly, keeping his gaze on the criminals, “I’m fine. I just…” He put his hands up, clenching his fists, “I forgot to get _Crocea Mors_ when I ran out of that room.”

“I got it,” Sun spoke up helpfully, tossing the other blond his sword and shield. “It was a good thing those White Fang members ran out after you when you ran out all crazy like that or else we wouldn’t have been able to our weapons either.”

“All crazy like?” Nora piped up questioningly.

The blond leader shook his head, readying his weapon, “Now’s not the time, Nora.”

Onyx patted Ruby’s shoulder as he walked towards his team, “Don’t kill her. She’s mine.” He glanced at Ruby who gazed back confusedly, “She’s the reason my grandfather died. She’s going to be stopped by my hands.”

Ruby gave an understanding nod, and let her eyes settle back on her enemies. Roman scoffed in offense, “I don’t have to take this.” He turned his head to the back of the area, “Hey! Why don’t you imbeciles actually work for a living?” He paused before lowering his voice a bit, “And you can come out too, Neo.”

The hunters-in-training turned their gazes to the newcomers. Onyx clenched his fists when he saw the familiar White Fang Lt. and Neo. He was a bit confused to see a nicely dressed man along with two twins and a Faunus White Fang member who wasn’t dressed like the rest, but he guessed Cinder had friends in all kinds of places.

“Hello, Blake,” The Faunus in red and black greeted the cat Faunus of RWBY tersely.

“Adam,” Blake breathed in fright.

Yang growled, her eyes turning red as she glared at Neo’s smug face and the effect this Adam was having on her teammate, “Is it too late to change my opponent?”

Jaune patted her shoulder with a smile, “We can take her, Yang. When you finish early, you can take her off our hands, and then you can kick this Adam guy’s ass from here to Atlas.”

“I knew I liked you,” Yang grinned up at the taller blond.

“We’ll take the club owner and the twins,” Neptune spoke up as he put his goggles. He leaned over to Sun, whispering, “They look like the easiest.” Onyx rolled his eyes at the idiot.

Coco nodded, hefting her bag on her shoulder, “Then we’ll take the White Fang members. I still haven’t paid them back for when they destroyed my favorite clothing store with those stupid Grimm.”

“Alright then,” Onyx said, dragging his gaze to Adam. “Then I guess we’ll just take him on. Shouldn’t be too hard.” He stretched his arms beside him, letting the new blade from his forearm make another appearance.

The former ones in the dark stared at him in shock. “C-Captain…” Lando breathed in awe.

Onyx smirked, clenching his fists, “New accessory. I don’t have _Stark_ with me right now, but I think these will work out just fine. Don’t you think so?”

Rebekah returned his smirk, “Any weapon you use, Onyx, will most likely send anyone running.” The team took pleasure in Adam’s sneering.

“Let’s start now, shall we?” Roman drawled, twirling his cane.

Blake stepped up to Onyx, whispering lowly knowing that he could hear, “Watch out for Adam’s weapons; _Wilt_ and _Blush_. If you use a high dosage of dust or any kind of energy from your weapon, _Wilt_ will be able to absorb it, and he’ll only get stronger and faster.”

Onyx tapped her arm reassuringly, “Don’t worry, Blake.” He kept his gaze firmly on Adam, “He’s just a Faunus going against a Grimm and his teammates. I really doubt he’ll be able to beat us.”

The dark haired female took his words in and walked back to her team where she stared down Torchwick. The Grimm male glanced around at everyone who were now in front of their enemies, battle ready.

He inhaled deeply, cracking his neck, “Let’s start this, shall we?” He let the Grimm flow through him without resistance. His bones broke and reformed, settling on the larger option, black hair sprouted from all along his body, and his shoes and shirt ripped open as he stood in his Beowolf form.

Adam readied his weapon, his hand tensing on the hilt. Onyx let off a harsh roar that sent them all off into their fights.


	19. The Middle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was time to put their skills to the ultimate test.

Chapter 19

 _If I go crazy then will you still_  
_Call me Superman._  
_If I’m alive and well, will you be_  
_There holding my hand_  
_I’ll keep you by my side with_  
_My superhuman might_  
_Kryptonite._  
…

Fighting Grimm was one thing. Onyx was a Grimm himself; he could easily tear through an Ursa, a Beowolf, and Boarbatusk anytime he needed to. Sparring fellow classmates was easy as well; it was why Onyx was hailed as one of the strongest hunters of his year. 

Fighting a criminal who was a very high up member of the White Fang was a whole other situation. Sure, Adam really couldn’t take on all four of them, but he could very well stand his ground against them. He was older, way more experienced fighting hunters on his own, and quick on his feet.

It was especially hard since they couldn’t use dust in their weapons since he could easily absorb it and use it against them.

A quick glance to the side showed that team CFVY had already taken out the White Fang Lt. and were making quick work at getting rid of the rest of the organization members who were stumbling over their feet to leave when they saw just how much the 2nd years destroyed their commanding officer.

Team SSSN was working on the twins. It seemed that Junior, the club owner, was much easier to take out since he wasn’t as experienced in fighting as he was at having information for Torchwick and Cinder.

Team JNPR seemed like they were having a tough time with the ever acrobatic and trickster Neo. Onyx hated fighting her when they were just trying to get past the other, he hated to think what she had up her sleeve to fight to the death.

Yang seemed like she was getting the upper hand over Mercury who couldn’t exactly match with the blonde bombshell’s extensive knowledge of every fighting move known. Yang had an advantage since she used both her fists and feet while Mercury put more of his fighting knowledge in his legs.

Weiss and Emerald were evenly matched, but Weiss had developed a strong will when it came to protecting her friends and teammates; especially her leader. Though Emerald clearly had the upper hand with her experience and how many changes her weapon had, Weiss wouldn’t go down that easily.

Blake’s calm nature could make it so she went through defeating Grimm without so much as breaking a sweat. Her angered self could easily take down Remnant’s most wanted criminal. It wasn’t a surprise when she had gotten Torchwick knocked out so easily; the man knew how to beat someone up, but he couldn’t exactly put up a fight against a former White Fang member who was on Adam’s level.

Team ORCL backed away quickly when Blake jumped in, taking Adam’s attack when he shot _Blush_ at Lando. She glared at the older male, keeping _Gambol Shroud_ at the ready while standing in front of the blond Faunus protectively.

Adam caught his weapon when his former partner threw it back to him, “You really want to do this, Blake? What have I taught you all those years we spent together? Humans will always step on the Faunus. You’ll never get what you need from them.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Blake bit back. “You’re a monster, Adam. While humans may never really accept us, I’ve made friends here, great friends that accept just as I am. I wouldn’t expect you to understand, but I would do anything for them; Faunus or not.”

“Fine,” Adam spat, readying _Wilt_. “Just don’t come crawling back to me when I put them all in the ground.”

The members of ORCL watched as the two former friends met each other in the middle, their weapons hitting each other as they matched the other’s moves as if they were dancing to a song only they knew.

It wasn’t long before Adam was able to get the upper hand; someone with a mind of a murderer had no inhibitions of his actions. He could attack to kill; it didn’t matter that he knew Blake for the longest time. If she wanted to fight him, he was going to kill her for betraying him and leaving him and the White Fang.

“I told you, Blake,” Adam hissed, keeping _Wilt_ trained on the cat Faunus. “You’ve made a huge mistake in siding with these humans.”

Everyone watching the scene was surprised when Lando acted out and smashed his fist into the bull Faunus’ face. The blond Faunus was a gentle soul, that much everyone knew, but only his teammates knew how far Lando could be pushed before he exploded. It also helped that his semblance had to do with hardening his skin.

Adam spat out blood as his mask fell away, revealing hardened brown eyes. He wiped his mouth, glaring at the ram Faunus, “I should’ve known. Faunus like you are nothing but traitors. How could you betray your own kind?”

Lando panted lightly, clenching his fist around _Egyed_ , “I know humans have never truly accepted us. I’ve been bullied for my whole life, but my team has protected me with everything they have. They don’t care if they're going against their own kind when someone is being bad, so I don’t have a problem going against a bully like you.”

Adam growled furiously before readying _Blush_ and aiming it straight at Lando’s head. Onyx let out a shout as he pushed his friend out of the way and took the bullet instead. He paid no mind to the pain and jumped on the bull Faunus.

He roared in his face so loudly, the rest of them would be astonished if the White Fang member would hear after that. The Grimm male reared his head back before slamming it into Adam’s. The bull Faunus hit the ground limply, finally defeated.

Onyx grunted, holding his side as his body went back to his human form. He clenched his jaw tightly, trying to block out the pain as he pulled the bullet out of his abdomen, letting the wound start to heal over. The bone blades on his forearms retracted back into his skin.

Rebekah put her hand on his shoulder worriedly, “Are you okay?”

He nodded tensely, “I’m fine. I just need to recover. I think he used a pretty good dust bullet.”

Blake hugged Lando tightly. The blond was immensely surprised but he softened and hugged the ravenette back. Blake gave a grateful smile, “Thank you, Lando.”

Lando smiled back gently, “Hey, I couldn’t let that guy talk to you like that. Friend or not, you deserve better than him.”

They all turned around to find Weiss, Yang, team SSSN, and team CFVY approaching them. “We done here?” Yang questioned, glaring at Adam’s fallen form.

“Yep,” Callie popped her ‘p’. “Sorry you couldn’t fight Adam, Yang.”

Yang waved her hand dismissively with a smirk, “It’s fine. I saw what you guys did to him, and I wouldn’t have done it better myself. Well…” She trailed off before going over the White Fang member. She then slammed her heel into Adam’s crotch.

Adam let out a high pitch squeal of pain. He then slumped back onto the floor while some of the males in the group cringed at the scene. Yang smirked mischievously back at the group, “That’s what I really wanted to do.”

Blake chuckled, giving her partner a tight hug as well. Yang’s smirk fell into a smile as she hugged the girl back just as tightly. She let her go once she glanced back to team JNPR and saw that they were still going against Neo. She narrowed her eyes, “You guys go help Ruby. This one’s mine.”

Onyx turned to them with a small frown, “I’m going to need you guys to handle everything here. I’m going to fight Cinder alone.”

“Onyx-” Rebekah began to protest.

Her leader cut her off with a sharp shake of his head, “No, I know what you’re going to say, but I have to do this. I swore to myself and on my grandfather’s grave that I would take out his murderer. Mercury and Emerald may have killed him, but Cinder was the one who wrote out his death certificate. She’s responsible for his death, and so many crimes that have happened this year. I have to do this.”

He ran towards Ruby and Cinder before any of them could offer another complaint. He reacted quickly when he got to them, kicking away Cinder’s arrows when they headed towards the slightly exhausted Ruby. He knew she had been using her semblance and aura a lot since the woman she was going against was basically on the same level as Ozpin.

He stood next to Ruby, glaring Cinder down, “You can step down now, Ruby. I can take it from here.”

Though panting heavily, Ruby shook her head, “No way. I’ve got a bone to pick with her, you know that.”

“So do I.”

Jaune approached, twirling his sword as he stood next to the two, “I hope you don’t mind me butting in as well.” He grinned at Onyx’s sharp look, “Come on, Onyx. Surely you’ve known by now that even if you can do something on your own, you won’t ever have too. We’re your friends.”

“What he said,” Sun added as he stood next to them. He spun his staff in his hand as he chuckled, “I think we’d end this battle much faster if we just fight her together, don’t you think?”

Onyx sighed in defeat, but couldn’t stop his lips from twitching in a smile, “Fine. Let’s end this already.”

The four leaders shot off towards Cinder who had been planning out her attack when they were talking. Concluding that Jaune was the weakest link next to Ruby since the two had taken so much time fighting their opponents, she shot more of her arrows at Jaune with one hand while blocking bullets from Sun with the other.

Jaune brought up his shield, smacking the arrows away as he came up to the woman. The four of them tried to land a hit on the woman, but she was an expert on using dust to her advantage. Ruby was blown away; her head hitting a wall weakening her.

Sun was the unfortunate leader to get a harsh blast of fire dust to his chest, throwing him to the other side of the area they were fighting in.

Jaune blocked all her blasts with his shield while Onyx cursed at the fact that he couldn’t find his weapons. Those idiots might have destroyed them when they had him chained in the room. He couldn’t exactly keep up with Cinder right now.

His eyes widened when he saw signs circling around Cinder. From his knowledge of dust, he knew for a fact that whatever she was planning, she was ready to kill them all. He had to help Jaune as much as he could.

The blast went off powerfully, almost throwing Jaune back as he blocked it with his shield. The Grimm male was surprised to see the shield…glowing? When the hell had Jaune learned that? It didn’t matter right now.

“Jaune!” Onyx shouted over the blast as he held Jaune in place so the blast didn’t lift him off his feet. “Keep her occupied, okay? I’m going to take your sword to take her out, alright?”

Jaune’s eyes turned red as he nodded, his body holding the blast even better than before. Onyx took the sword from the ground where it laid at Jaune’s feet. He ran further behind the blond knight before rushing towards the two.

He jumped high into the air, over the blast. He readied the sword, hoping to get her while she was distracted. He should’ve known it wouldn’t have been that easy to trick a woman of her caliber.

The blast died down as Cinder made another blade of dust and struck at the same time Onyx did.

The two still, the air leaving them in a gasp. They turned their gazes down to their weapons. Onyx had pierced Cinder’s side with _Crocea Mors_ while Cinder had stabbed Onyx in his upper chest.

“Onyx!” Jaune shouted urgently, rushing towards the two of them.

Onyx coughed out blood, his grip loosening on the sword as he fell backwards limply. Jaune quickly took his sword out of Cinder, ignoring her pained shriek, before making his way towards his friend and mentor. Before he could open his mouth, another airship came overhead, gaining everyone’s attention.

Ozpin, Glynda, Port, Oobleck, Ironwood, two women Jaune knew to be the headmasters of Vacuo and Haven Academy, Taiyang, and Qrow stepped off. Port checked on team CFVY, Oobleck checked on the first years, Taiyang checked on Yang and Ruby, Ironwood, Ozpin, and Qrow made quick work in getting Cinder and her companions unmoving.

Glynda approached Onyx and Jaune with Sun worriedly. She gazed over at Onyx’s deathly still body, “Is he going to be alright? I know he can heal, but-”

She halted her speech when Jaune pulled out Cinder’s dust blade from the dark haired male’s chest. She balked, “Mr. Arc!”

Jaune shook his head stiffly, putting his gloved hands over Onyx’s wound, “He can only heal if whatever is injuring him is out of him. If not, he’d have to heal around it and that wouldn’t help anything.” He clenched his jaw tightly, sweat pouring down his face, “Come on, Onyx. I know you’re stronger than this. You have to wake up.”

Everyone watched on concernedly. Ruby stepped up next to Jaune, holding Onyx’s slack hand tightly in her own. Sun scrubbed at his eyes, his breath stuttering in his chest as he tried to keep hope that Onyx would wake up.

Silence enveloped the area. Hope was vanishing from eyes.

Then, suddenly, Onyx jolted up, gasping for air as his wound healed. Everyone slumped with relief as the Grimm male coughed, his color coming back to him. He cleared his throat weakly as he stared at the faces in front of him, “What’d I miss?”

He grinned when they laughed happily. Sun hugged him tightly, burying his face into his neck and not bothering to hide his tears of happiness. The blond pulled away, ruffling Onyx’s hair, “I’m glad you’re back, Bro.”

“Me too, Bro,” Onyx smiled back, gazing into the grey eyes in front of them. He winced, rubbing his chest, “But maybe we can take a nap now. I’m really tired.”

He choked out a laugh when his friends all gathered him in a hug. His eyes stung a bit, but he’d happily shed those tears as he hugged all his friends back.


	20. The End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was time to say bye for now.

Chapter 20

 _Don’t you worry about the dark,_  
 _I will light up the night with the love in my heart._  
 _I will burn like the sun,_  
 _I will keep you safe and warm._  
…

The last day of school had finally arrived. It was a bit bittersweet to say goodbye to all the friends they had made that year, but they knew it would only be a few months until they saw each other again. It wasn’t the end of the world. No, they had already made sure it would never be. Still, it was sad to not be able to see them every day. 

Onyx stood on the roof, staring down at the airships where the students from Mistral, Vacuo, and Atlas were waiting to board. He wondered how long it would be until they came back again. Hopefully, the circumstances would be much better than what had just happened the past few days.

“Bro?”

Onyx turned around to find Sun approaching him with a hesitant smile. He grinned a bit, “What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be waiting to board an airship back to Mistral?” Even though he said that, he was immensely glad to see the blond Faunus.

Sun’s smile stretched into a grin as he stood next to him, “It’s fine. We still got another hour until we ship off. They’re just waiting for the headmaster to come and do a headcount and that’s gonna be a while since she’s talking with the other headmasters in Ozpin’s office.”

“I see,” Onyx mused. He sighed as they stared at the setting sun, “You know, when I started the school year, I really didn’t think it was going to end up like this.”

“Me neither.”

Onyx chuckled bemusedly, “I mean, I knew it was going to be hectic with me being a Grimm and all, but I never thought it would actually be a good thing in the long run.”

Sun patted his shoulder, “How’d the others deal with it?”

“As well as they could,” Onyx shrugged with a small smile. “Yang is coming up with a lot more puns, Nora keeps saying she wants to go for a ride like she did to an Ursa in the beginning of the year, Ren said he didn’t care what I was because I was his friend, Pyrrha slapped me for biting Jaune and giving him Grimm abilities as well, but she then told me she was glad I helped him out in some way, and Weiss just said that while she had never seen anything like this, she didn’t really care as long as I didn’t go crazy. Team CFVY said it was awesome.”

“That’s good, right?” Sun piped up hopefully, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “Scarlet said it was pretty cool, Sage was impressed, and Neptune was a bit scared, but he said it explained why you beat him so quickly in the tournament. I told you him you’d beat him either way.”

Onyx gave a small laugh, “Thanks.” His eyes softened suddenly, stinging with unshed tears. “I don’t know if I would repeat this year again because, even though I made such good friends and we stopped a powerful enemy, I still lost my grandfather through it. Hell, I almost died myself.”

“Onyx…” Sun frowned.

“I don’t know,” Onyx swallowed thickly. “When I was dying, I thought I had seen my grandpa. I thought I saw my parents and my grandma too.” He wiped his eyes with a shaky hand, “I thought to myself ‘would it be too much to ask to stay with them?’, but then I realized something.”

He turned his gaze to Sun, tired obsidian eyes meeting sympathetic grey ones, “I made a promise to you, and I would never go back on that promise because I lo-”

He was cut off when Sun grabbed him by his jacket and smashed their lips together. Onyx clutched at the blond’s shirt as well, kissing him back and letting the feelings he had been developing for the Faunus pour out of him.

They panted lightly when they pulled apart. Sun put his hand behind Onyx’s head as they leaned against the other’s forehead, “I’m gonna come back to you, and we’ll make our home, alright? I’m not leaving you. Not now, not ever.”

Onyx breathed a laugh, a tear slipping down his nose, “I’m never gonna leave you either. I guess we’re stuck with each other.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

The two stood there silently, gazing into each other’s eyes. Onyx didn’t want this moment to end, but he knew it was inevitable when he heard, “Airship leaving for Mistral in 20 minutes.”

Onyx released Sun’s shirt from his hand, giving Sun a smile, “I’ll be waiting for you when you get back.”

“Okay,” Sun replied softly before grinning. “This is just the beginning, Bro. We’ve still got 3 more years of school left.”

“Don’t remind me.” The two laughed before Sun jogged to the door. They both shared one last wave before the blond departed.

Onyx stuffed his hands in his jacket pockets, keeping his gaze on the now night sky. 3 more years, but no Cinder and her gang this time. At least that would seem refreshing. No more secrets, no more cover ups, and no more lies.

It was a whole new year.

“Hey, Onyx.”

The Grimm male turned around to see another familiar blond come up. He grinned at Jaune, “What are you doing up here, Jaune? Shouldn’t you be packing?”

Jaune grinned back, bumping his shoulder with Onyx’s, “Please. My family is just hogging my room, and while Ren immediately left after being in there with so many girls, Nora tried to get my little sisters to get pancakes with her, and my older sisters are interrogating Pyrrha for some reason.”

Onyx laughed amusedly, “Well, I hope Pyrrha can handle herself. You have a big family, Jaune.”

“That’s not even counting my grandparents on both my parents’ side, or my aunts and uncles and cousins.”

The darker haired choked in shock, staring back at the blond, “Seriously? Isn’t your family big enough?”

Jaune chuckled, “That’s what I said.” They both turned back to the night sky. “Do you think next year will be easier?”

“Oh yeah,” Onyx exhaled deeply. “I mean, we’re stronger, we’ve got more friends, and we defeated a woman who was trying to take over the world or something. I think we got the next few years in the bag.”

The two bumped fists as the stars twinkled in the sky above them. They watched as the airships took off, taking the other students back to their homes.

They didn’t know what was to come in the next 3 years, but it couldn’t be as hard as this year, right?


End file.
